SWAMPSCOTT — When two of the hottest teams in the area – Lynn Classical and Swampscott – squared off Tuesday evening at Dick Lynch Gymnasium, you could say two quarters made the difference.
In the end, Classical (6-3) extended its winning streak to three games and handed Swampscott (5-1) its first loss of the season in a 69-59 final.
Marvin Avery, head coach of the Rams, said “defense wins ball games.” His team allowed just two points in the second quarter and went into halftime with a 30-22 advantage.
“If you get through our defense, you’ll be all right; if you can’t, it’s going to be a long night,” he said.
As for Swampscott coach Jason Knowles, he admitted his players didn’t respond to adversity and got “hit in the mouth.”
“The second quarter was it. We played scared. They’re a strong team and we knew it. We saw plenty of game-film and knew what we were up against,” Knowles said. “Today was a story of rebounding and when we got hit in the mouth, we didn’t respond in that second (quarter). I’m proud of them in the third and fourth quarters for battling back from 20 points and making it a game.”
The Rams stretched their lead to 17 points when Rolky Brea Arias (17 points) threw down a two-handed dunk on the fastbreak to make it 46-29 with three minutes remaining in the third quarter.
Arias wasn’t done making highlight plays. The junior forward delivered a behind-the-back pass to Deshawn Rucker (14 points) for a transition basket in the fourth quarter.
“That’s why he’s one of the best players not just in the City of Lynn, but in the state,” Avery said. “He’s very athletic, moves the ball well with his passing, and when you have a guy that big, athletic, and he can pass, he brings a lot to the table.”
Although the Rams were cruising with an 18-point lead to start the fourth quarter, the Big Blue showed why they were previously unbeaten. They connected on three straight 3-pointers to make it 55-44 with 6:11 to play.
“They were resilient. The fact we were down 20 and never gave up is something that’s great about these kids,” Knowles said. “For them to respond like they did is a positive, but to score two points in the second quarter is unacceptable.”
One player keeping Swampscott in the game was freshman Teddy O’Neill, who netted 25 points with eight coming in the fourth quarter.
“He’s a gamer. He’s someone who can fill it up on any given night,” Knowles said. “What we’ve had in the past when he or Connor (Chiarello) had an off-night, we had others step up, but unfortunately, tonight, we didn’t have that.”
Swampscott got the game to within six, 59-53, after a pair of O’Neill free throws. Then, Chiarello (17 points) made two more from the charity stripe to keep the deficit at six with 3:12 remaining.
That said, time ran out on the hosts.
“This game is a game of runs. We withstood the run. The kids got a little bit agitated… but we fought through it and are now 6-3,” Avery said. “Swampscott is one of the hardest places to play. To get a road win in Swampscott is big for us.”
Swampscott travels to Marblehead for a 7 p.m. clash with the Magicians on Thursday, while Classical hosts Medford at 7 p.m. on Friday.
