LYNN — One won a battle of powerhouses; the other defeated a traditional archrival.
The St. Mary’s girls and Lynn Classical boys basketball teams made statements with home-court wins Tuesday night.
Against Bishop Feehan (13-3), the top-ranked team in Division 1, No. 5 St. Mary’s (Div. 2) stunned the Shamrocks 62-35. Coach Jeff Newhall and the Spartans improved to 15-2.
“We put it all together tonight and saw what we are capable of against one of the top teams in the state,” Newhall said. “We knew we were capable of this the whole time and that’s why there have been some growing pains. We need to sustain the energy, basketball IQ, and team-first attitude we have been playing with lately.”
The three-headed monster of Sysy Emmanuel (19 points), McKenna O’Connell (13), and Charleigh Green (10) led an offensive explosion inside of the Tony C. Gymnasium.
“It’s certainly good to play like that against an opponent as good as Feehan,” Newhall said.
The Rams, ranked third in Div. 3, charged through Lynn English 80-60 and upped their record to 13-2. Shyheim Babb led Classical with 23 points, followed by DJ Reynolds (15), Darren Baker (15), and Kam Rucker (13). Yeuri Figuereo paced the Bulldogs (3-11) with 16 points.
But at times, it was close. Classical trailed by nine points during the opening quarter and held just a six-point cushion (36-30) at halftime.
“Basketball is a game of runs. Our defense pressured and our athletes took control in the second half,” said Classical coach Marvin Avery. “We’re playing our best basketball at the right time. Hottest team in the state right now — seven wins in a row.”
St. Mary’s hosts Arlington Catholic Friday at 6:30 p.m., while Classical welcomes Somerville Thursday at 7 p.m.
