WAREHAM — Every great story has an ending. For the No. 8 Lynn Tech boys basketball team, it turned its final page of a great book.
The Tigers lost, 95-49, Friday night in an Elite 8 matchup against No. 1 Wareham in enemy territory.
“They showed why they are the defending champs,” said Tech coach Corey Bingham. “They’re senior-heavy and, as a coach, you can see who wants it a little bit more – and that was them.”
The Vikings came out of the gates storming, getting out to an early 10-0 run. Between their length and athleticism, Wareham kept turning over the Tigers, leading to layups and transition threes.
“You can see why they are the No. 1 ranked team,” Bingham said. “They shared the ball and they played great defense. They turned us over. We ran into a chainsaw tonight.”
Wareham led, 31-14, after the first quarter and extended its lead to 27 by halftime (56-29).
Despite the game getting away from the Tigers, sophomore guards Giovanni Jean (16 points) and Brandon Antwine (9 points) found their groove.
“Those guys are sophomores, so they get to experience playing in a big crowd and hitting big shots,” Bingham said. “It’s like I told them all week, in the playoffs, every possession counts. That was our biggest problem. We turned the ball over too much to even have a chance. Those two alone, trying and showing that they cared, that’s all I could ask for as a coach.”
Wareham, on a mission to defend its title, continued to put pressure on the Tigers to take a 78-43 lead after the third quarter.
Although Tech lost the game, you could say the Tigers recaptured their identity this season. When Bingham was hired by Tech, he said it took belief from his players to turn it around.
“You come in and you get kids that believe. I believe in them,” Bingham said. “They came and turned the program around.”
He also praised his six seniors for being pillars of the rebuild.
“Jayden (Welch), Ederick (Gonzalez), and Cesar (Reyes) all helped build the program,” Bingham said. “Also, Emmanuel (Ramirez) and Ethan Prum worked hard every day at practice. Then, we have Cristian (Castillo) who doesn’t play much, but he’s the ultimate teammate.”
Not only do the seniors leave with an Elite 8 appearance, they do so with a 20-3 record and Vocational Championship.
Now, with all eyes on Tech, Bingham believes the foundation is set.
“We set the stone. We’re being talked about now. They know who we are. Wareham came to watch us twice, so they knew we were a good team,” Bingham said. “We got people’s eyes on us now. It’s now time to continue to show that we’re a good team, but, most importantly, that they are great student-athletes. I feel like this was a great experience for our sophomores, so next year, we can make a deeper run.”
Throughout the season, Tech’s home faithful showed up all year long. Friday didn’t disappoint, either, with fans traveling more than two hours after traffic.
“I want to thank the City of Lynn for coming out and showing us love and support all the way in Wareham,” Bingham said. “This just shows how much the city gathers around its team.”
