English hosted its season opener Tuesday night against Chelsea. The Bulldogs cruised to victory 86-42 behind leading scorers Denzell Guillen (16 points), Tyrese Melo Garcia (15 points) and Warren Keel Jr. (15 points).
English came out of the gates with intensity right from the tipoff. The Bulldogs picked up full-court every time Chelsea gained possession. The consistent pressure caused Chelsea to turn the ball over in its own half, which led to English starting the quarter on a 9-0 run in the first four minutes of the game.
Keel Jr. found success on the defensive end. As English pressed, Keel Jr. continued to find opportunities to leave his man and trap the ball, leading to several steals for the Bulldogs. English led 26-10 after the first quarter.
“I was proud of [our press] that. It is our identity. I think we did a good job pressing teams full court forcing turnovers,” Abreu said.
English relied on its athleticism and quick ball movement to cut through Chelsea’s defense. The Bulldogs continued their press into the second quarter and extended their lead to 22 halfway through the quarter. Chelsea defended in a 2-3 zone on defense and doubled English’s forward, Joshua St. Jean (seven points), every time he touched the ball in the post. When St. Jean caught the ball, he remained poised with two defenders on him and found the open cutter for an open jump shot. English outscored Chelsea 28-13 in the second quarter to lead 54-23 at the half.
The Bulldogs continued to find holes in Chelsea’s defense with constant movement off the ball. A prime example was when St. Jean received the ball in the post, took one dribble and passed it to senior teammate Gloire Kabongo (10 points) who got open off a backdoor cut. Between the constant pressure and movement off the ball, English showed its versatility on offense, getting baskets in variety. English held a 67-33 lead going into the fourth quarter.
“We have a really good team. I tell them we have to play egoless basketball and I think we were able to do that tonight. We shared the ball. It is not about one or two players, it is about the next open man,” Abreu says.
Entering the fourth quarter with a 30-point lead could have been a situation for the Bulldogs to become complacent – that was not the case for English. On multiple occasions, the Bulldogs turned down a good shot to get a better shot. English continued to apply pressure and maintained its intensity as the win started the season on a positive note.
“It was very important [to get off to a winning start]. We have a lot of stuff to work on, but I am happy. The goal was to be 1-0 and we did that today,” Abreu said.
The Bulldogs’ next game will be at home against Malden on Thursday, December 15 at 7 p.m.
Mark Aboyoun can be reached at [email protected]
