The last time Classical (17-0) and English (11-6) squared off, it came down to the final shot as the Rams held on in a thriller. Unfortunately for the visiting Bulldogs, Tuesday wasn’t a night of revenge.
Completing the season sweep of English after three matchups, the Rams defeated the Bulldogs 56-33 in their home gym. And if you ask Classical head coach Tom Sawyer – whose team improved to 17-0 with the win – he points to his group’s mindset.
“We played with intensity tonight, and focus,” Sawyer said. “A really good win – I don’t know how else to say it.”
On the other side, English head coach Travonne Berry-Rogers said his team “didn’t show up.”
“We just didn’t show up today – it’s as simple as that,” Berry-Rogers said. “It literally comes down to energy and having the want to win.”
English looked determined up 6-5 early in enemy territory, but from there, the Rams charged. Classical closed the quarter on a 13-0 run and led 18-6 after the period.
“We changed our defense a little bit, and the kids executed it,” Sawyer said. “Defense is a little bit about X’s and O’s, and a lot about effort. They played with effort in that second half of the first quarter which allowed us to turn it around.”
Classical’s Ava Thurman (20 points) did her thing early. She gave the Rams their first lead after crossing over two Bulldogs before draining a stop-and-pop jumper.
Keisha Perez (17 points) followed with a steal-and-score layup, and Classical turned it up from there. Sawyer highlighted his team’s versatility as four Rams scored in the opening frame.
“If you want to focus on one thing, we have other players who can take advantage of that,” Sawyer said. “It’s easy to defend if you’re one-dimensional.”
They never stopped. Early in the second, Classical’s Lauren Wilson (five points) hit a pull-up three with no hesitation, receiving a nice applause from the Rams’ faithful right behind her on the bleachers.
Thurman beat the first half-buzzer with a midrange pull-up and Classical entered the break with a 38-16 advantage. English went on a small 5-0 run in the quarter, but it wasn’t enough to tilt the momentum.
“We dropped one at home when we saw them, so you would hope to say ‘Okay, let’s really come out and bring it,’ but that’s basketball,” Berry-Rogers said. “We’ve still got a lot to learn to finish up the season and start a playoff run.”
It was more of the same in the third. English had its chances, but turnovers and cold shooting held back the Bulldogs, as well as strong defensive technique from Classical.
A highlight of the third was when Classical’s Lauren Hennessey (10 points) delivered a one-handed dart to Thurman for a layup, who completed the senior-to-senior connection beneath the basket.
“[In] high school sports, you go as your seniors go,” Sawyer said. “All of them have played really good all year long.”
Back-to-back layups from Perez put a lid on things as the fourth ticked to a close. Despite the lopsided loss, English’s Amara Flores impressed with 18 points.
As for Classical upping its record to 17-0, Sawyer would rather take things “game by game.”
“It’s high school sports,” Sawyer said. “We’re happy tonight, and tomorrow, we start thinking about Triton.”
