The Lynnfield boys’ basketball team was in a back-and-forth battle against rival Georgetown for much of Tuesday night, but couldn’t keep up with the Royals in the second half as the Pioneers fell 62-49.
Lynnfield head coach John Bakopolus hopes his squad will learn a valuable lesson.
“We are still a pretty young team, and Georgetown has been one of the better teams in our league for quite some time,” Bakopolus said. “Georgetown is an experienced and talented team, and they showcased that tonight. I feel our team can become this as they continue to gain experience.”
The Pioneers got off to a slow start, trailing 12-1 late in the first quarter. But then, Lynnfield called a timeout with 57.8 seconds remaining in the quarter and ended it on a 6-0 run.
Senior captain Alex Gentile canned two consecutive three-pointers, both assisted by sophomore Gavin Deluties which cut the Georgetown lead to five (12-7).
Lynnfield continued its run in the second quarter and eventually tied the game 18-18 when sophomore Alex Fleming swished a three with 2:50 remaining.
The Pioneers and Royals traded baskets throughout the closing minutes of the first half as Lynnfield trailed 25-24 at halftime. Gentile led the way for the Pioneers as he scored 16 of his team’s 24 points halfway through.
“Alex has been big for us all season,” Bakopolus said. “Alex works incredibly hard on offense and defense, and his preparation rubs off on the team, which is why we were able to fight back into this game after our slow start. We are a team that will never give up or stop working hard.”
Lynnfield senior captain Camden Marengi was held scoreless in the first half, but made his presence felt in the third quarter as he scored all seven of his points in the frame. Marengi drilled a straight-away three, followed by a step-through floater in the middle of the paint which made the score 37-35 Georgetown with just over four minutes remaining.
The score was tied 37-37 with 3:07 in the third, and that’s when the game changed in Georgetown’s favor. The Royals finished the quarter on a 10-0 run and held a 47-37 lead heading into the fourth. It didn’t stop there as it ballooned into a 22-0 run, and Lynnfield found itself down 59-37 midway through the fourth.
“It is hard to come out victorious in any game that you give up a double digit run in, and we gave up two of those tonight,” Bakopolus said. “Finding a way to limit a run to a 6-0 or an 8-0 run instead of a 12-0 plus run is another aspect of the game we can and will get better in.”
Gentile was quiet in the second half, but finished with a team-high 20 points and added six rebounds. Deluties (15 points and four assists) and Fleming (three points and 13 rebounds) had strong performances for the Pioneers as well. Lynnfield (8-6) will look to bounce back on the road Friday night against Pentucket.
Jerry DiStefano can be reached at [email protected]
