LYNN — New year, same Lynn Classical girls basketball team – one that runs and guns it from the first whistle, to the last.
But coach Tom Sawyer said he isn’t worried about setting New Year’s resolutions. He’d rather see his team be a better one by the end of the season – that’s it.
Well, Thursday night, the Lady Rams got better, routing Somerville, 44-11, at Classical High.
The elephant in the room was Somerville’s 11 points (the Highlanders didn’t score a basket in the third quarter).
“I liked our defensive intensity tonight,” said Sawyer, whose team upped its record to 4-2. “I think we were really flying around on defense and getting deflections. I was really happy with that.”
Of that intensity, no one defined the word more than Keisha Perez. For those who didn’t have a roster, she was the one blocking shots and racing down the floor after steals.
She brought the home faithful to its feet after two steals and a block on three consecutive possessions in the first quarter, one that ended 16-4 in favor of the hosts.
“She plays fast, but she also plays under control. She’s a very important part of our team,” Sawyer said. “The ball is in her hands probably 90 percent of the time, so it’s a really important piece to have.”
Then there was Divine Egbuta, who put on a show offensively. The righty scored the first six points of the game, connecting around the rim with ease.
“Coach (Shardaye) Berry works with her and Linda Jallow on post play every day, and you can see with both of them today,” Sawyer said. “That effort was rewarded.”
After Jadalys Tejada’s chasedown block in a spirited second quarter, Classical took a 23-5 lead into the break.
Speaking of Tejada, she buried two from downtown in the third quarter.
“I thought she played really well, taking shots that she could make and handling the ball,” said Sawyer, whose coaching staff hopes its players always feel confident shooting the ball. “At the end of the day, it’s a shot-making game. You win or lose depending on if you’re making shots. Both teams usually get the same amount of shots, and tonight, we made them.”
While sharpshooting Savannah Tang and Kaleigh Bullock also scored baskets in the victory, Somerville failed to score more than four points in a quarter.
“It’s players who make plays and win the game,” Sawyer said. “I thought the defense was strong.”
After the game, Sawyer said he’d be “remiss” not to mention Lauren Wilson, who played her first game of the season and provided strong minutes – many as the primary ball-handler.
“It was huge for us, absolutely huge for us,” Sawyer said.
But Sawyer admitted there was work to do in some areas.
“We’ve got to reduce our turnovers. We’d like to get a shot up every time we get down the court, and when you turn the ball over, that doesn’t happen,” he said. “I’d like to see us valuing the ball.”
In search of win number five, Classical hosts Georgetown at 6 p.m. on Monday.
“We’re just going to enjoy today. I don’t make predictions about wins, or losses, or anything like that,” Sawyer said. “We want to be a better team and be better basketball players as the year progresses, and, so far, I think we’ve done that. There are kids doing things they didn’t know they could do.”
