LYNN — You could say it was a memorable season of high school basketball for the City of Lynn. Eight teams made their respective state tournaments, St. Mary’s girls took home a state championship, and there were five players who crossed the 1,000-point mark.
Scoring 1,000 points is one of the top accomplishments a high school basketball player can achieve. This winter alone, five student-athletes from three Lynn schools got in on the action.
Starting on the girls’ side, Bella Owumi (St. Mary’s) and Engelyz Bingham (Lynn Tech) both joined the 1,000-point club.
Bingham, who joined her father, Corey, as 1,000-point scorers in Tech history, accomplished the feat in a win against Nashoba. Entering the game, she needed 27 points for 1,000 and did just that, scoring a game-high 27 to help the Tigers win and cement her legacy at Lynn Tech.
Owumi racked up the accolades this season. Just a sophomore, she picked up her 1,000th point in a 50-25 win against Wakefield. From there, all she did was lead the Spartans to another Division 3 state title. Owumi scored a game-high 19 points in the final to raise yet another banner on Tremont Street.
Staying with St. Mary’s, JJ Martinez also netted his 1,000th point, as he joined his mother, Shena Mitchell, formerly of Lynn Tech, in Lynn history as a mother-son duo.
Martinez had plenty of highlights across the season, including a superstar performance against Newburyport in enemy territory.
Earlier in the week, Martinez netted his 1,000th point. Fast forward a few days, and he hit the game-winner at the buzzer against Newburyport, a game in which some believed would be a championship preview. Martinez scored 19 points in the win, including his game-winning layup to keep the Spartans atop the Division 3 rankings.
Next, there was KIPP’s Trosky Peña. The do-it-all point guard took on more responsibility in his senior campaign and didn’t miss a beat. Peña scored his 1,000th point against Bishop Fenwick to etch his name into KIPP’s history books. Not only was Peña a gifted scorer who played like an old-fashioned guard, but he actively looked to guard the opposing team’s best player. Whether the opposing player was bigger than him or not, he’d be up for the task and – more often than not – keep the opposition quiet.
Circling back to Lynn Tech, Giovanni Jean scored his milestone basket in enemy territory against the Big Blue of Swampscott. Jean sank his 1,000th point via the free-throw line and finished the game with 21 points to help Lynn Tech beat a talented Swampscott team, which also made its respective state tournament.
Jean later led the Tigers to the Round of 8 after Tech defeated Millis and Manchester-Essex. Just a junior, Jean will be back and looking to bring Tech even further next season.
