LYNN — Lynn Classical Coach Marvin Avery said his phone was blowing up all weekend with friends asking for tickets.
St. Mary’s Athletic Director Jeff Newhall, with a smile, said the planning process was “no fun.”
But traffic and ticketing aside, Tuesday night’s boys basketball game was worth the wait as the top-ranked Spartans hosted the No. 16 Rams inside of the Tony C. Gymnasium.
The reward: A trip to the Division 3 Round of 8 and friendly bragging rights.
“It’s probably one of the biggest games in the City of Lynn’s history,” Avery said leading up to the game. “It’s definitely in the top five.”
With 500-plus sets of eyes watching – and extra chairs wrapped around the court’s perimeter – Coach David Brown and his Spartans defended home-court with a 75-54 win after leading by just four points at halftime.
“Unbelievable atmosphere,” said Brown, who still remembers the 1988 quarterfinal matchup between his St. Mary’s team and Classical. “Coach (Avery) did a great job and they had a great season.”
Newhall said online tickets sold out in 55 minutes on Saturday. And Tuesday, there were fans waiting in line 90 minutes before tip-off.
“I wish I could give tickets to everyone who asked for them,” said first-year Classical Athletic Director Josh Mower. “It builds its own hype and it’s a fantastic event. I joked and said this was the new-AD difference.”
Mower added there was “electricity in the air” all week.
“To me, this is what Lynn is about,” he said. “Everyone’s rooting for the kids.”
Well, there was plenty to root for in that regard. JJ Martinez led St. Mary’s with 26 points, while June Vasquez added 15 off the bench. Rolky Brea-Arias guided Classical with 11 first-half points.
“Some of these guys have been playing together since they were 5 or 6 years old,” Brown said. “You’re playing against the best friends you grew up with.”
When asked about the night in its entirety, Brown cracked a smile and said his players will be talking about it for decades.
“It’s great for the kids to come out and play in an atmosphere like that,” he said.
That said, not without “some jitters.
“At the end of the day, it’s a basketball game,” Brown said. “You’re still going to dribble the same way and you’re still going to shoot the same way.”
Once those jitters disappeared, Brown said his players relished the environment.
“For some reason, St. Mary’s is the bad guy in the City of Lynn, but we can take that,” he said. “I tell people all the time – I hated the Patriots.”
Martinez, a Lynn native, admitted the atmosphere was “a lot.”
But for the night’s leading scorer, that didn’t bother him.
“It was intense and I loved the competitiveness,” he said. “I’m glad we get to move on.”
When asked if the last few days were full of nerves or excitement, Martinez was quick to respond.
“Honestly, I feel like we’ve been excited. Practices have been nothing but great.” he said. “The energy has been high, we’re competing, and we’re getting better every day.”
Next up for the Spartans is No. 8 Abington, which netted 80 points against No. 9 Watertown on Tuesday.
“Defensively and offensively, I thought we played really well,” Brown said. “We relish taking the other team’s best punches.”
