LYNN — No. 38 North Middlesex called a timeout less than three minutes into Sunday’s Division 3 state tournament game against No. 6 Lynn Classical. The Rams had already spread the wealth offensively to build a 12-4 lead.
“We’ve got a senior-led team and they’re playing good ball,” said Classical coach Marvin Avery, whose red-hot group has won 12 of 13 games. “By having that extra layoff (10 days), I think it benefited us.”
Classical used a 27-10 first quarter to win 78-39, punching its ticket to the Sweet 16. The Rams host No. 22 Stoneham (14-8) Tuesday at 7 p.m.
And if the first quarter showcased Classical’s offense, the second put the spotlight on the defensive end. The Rams allowed just six second-quarter points and led 42-16 at halftime.
“We preach it all year long — to get the tough defense going,” Avery said. “We got better as the game went on and conditioning took care of itself. We’re just a tough team to beat with our defense.”
A second-quarter highlight came when Darren Baker (15 points) buried a contested 3-pointer toward the end of the shot clock, as well as Shy Babb (19) receiving a sharp backdoor pass and finishing down low.
“What can I say about Darren? He’s an unsung hero. A lot of people don’t know about him because he doesn’t score as much, but he did all the little things,” Avery said. “Shy just did a nice job staying out of foul trouble and controlling the boards.”
Babb — who beats you in more ways than one — picked up where he left off to begin the third quarter. He finished a base-line layup before netting a mid-range jumper.
“We were just sticking with it. Our coaches told us to stay calm, stay composed, and we did what we had to do,” said Babb, who brought the crowd to its feet with a right-handed dunk. “I just saw opportunities. Every opportunity they gave me, I just took advantage of it and tried to stay consistent throughout the entire game.”
Classical, at times, struggled to rebound on the defensive end. North Middlesex battled during the third quarter and was only outscored 19-15 during the frame. The visitors started the fourth quarter on a 6-0 run, leading to an Avery timeout.
“We knew they would go on a run,” Avery said. “My kids met the challenge.”
They certainly did. Classical put together a 15-0 fourth-quarter run and doubled up the Patriots on the final scoreboard. Deshawn Rucker led all scorers with 21 points, while Davon Rucker added 12 off the bench.
Next up: Stoneham.
“Stay with it,” Babb said. “Work hard, don’t get too cocky, and stay confident.”
“We’ll be ready to go,” Avery said.
