LYNN — Not a week goes by this season when the Lynn English basketball team (16-0) scores less than 80 or 90 points in a game. That said, consider Thursday night a test.
The host Bulldogs defeated the Everett Crimson Tide 74-56, but as the saying goes, it was a lot closer than the final score.
English led just 33-28 at halftime and 62-51 in the fourth, but a rally in the second half – alongside some Warren Keel Jr. heroics – put things out of reach.
Keel dropped 28 points on Thursday, with English head coach Alvin Abreu calling him a “special player.”
“He has the ability to get downhill on guys, he’s fast, he’s good defensively,” Abreu said. “I’m just glad he’s on our side.”
With Everett slowly cutting the English lead down in the fourth, Keel scored an off-balanced layup – plus the foul – to put his team ahead 64-51 late. A few layups later from the guard, and time ran out on Everett.
Speaking of Everett, the Crimson Tide never went away – even when English’s big-guns got it going.
“They’re always a tough squad,” Abreu said. “They play hard, they’re well-coached [and] they’re resilient themselves.”
Ahead by just five at halftime, English wasted no time in the third, scoring the first six points and showing off its tenacious one-on-one defense – on top of its equally-tenacious press.
Then came the run. Denzell Guillen drilled a transition three to extend English’s lead to 20 (56-36) as the third came to a close. Right in front of his bench, Guillen got a high-five from Abreu after the shot.
After the game, Abreu agreed his team became inspired by turnovers and defensive energy. He also credited his team’s “resiliency” in the third.
“One thing I take pride in with our guys is being relentless,” Abreu said. “When things are not going your way, you just get up and go do it again – and keep doing it.”
English’s Nelson Obarisiagbon also impressed in the quarter. He scored twice off putbacks, and also provided a spark with a monstrous block off the backboard.
Despite things being closer than some of English’s other games, Abreu was happy his team got to experience a “fearless” opponent in Everett.
“We hit adversity today where I think we needed it,” Abreu said. “We know we’ve still got some stuff to work on.”
“I like what we see. I want to see these challenges for us to grow as a team,” Abreu said.
