TEWKSBURY — Friday night, inside of a hostile Tewksbury Memorial gymnasium, No. 6 Lynn Classical took down No. 3 Tewksbury 68-59 to advance to the Division 3 semifinals.
Midway through the first quarter, the Rams had to overcome their first obstacle. Greater Boston League MVP Shyheim Babb picked up his second foul with 3:52 on the clock, sending him to the bench until the third.
Classical trailed by five points, 18-13, before Deshawn Rucker (12 points) buried a deep 3-pointer with three seconds remaining in the opening frame.
The second quarter was all DJ Reynolds. The senior opened the quarter with back-to-back corner threes and later drilled another from the opposite corner to propel Classical to a 29-23 lead.
Reynolds scored 11 of his 29 points in the second quarter. Not only was he leading the Rams offensively, but he guarded Tewksbury’s top scorer.
“I’m so proud of DJ. He utilized his experience and leadership, and took care of business,” said Classical coach Marvin Avery. “That’s what he does. He’s been with me since freshman year and he worked hard on both ends of the court.”
“I knew, for this game, I was going to have to score. I felt, in the last two games, I wasn’t playing to my greatest ability,” Reynolds said. “My team kept holding me accountable and I knew I had to go get this game.”
The Rams led 33-31 at halftime and took a 51-49 advantage to the fourth quarter.
Classical went on a 10-2 run to open the fourth quarter, while Tewksbury saw three 3-pointers go in and out. Tewksbury cut its deficit to six points with 2:56 to go, but never got closer as the Rams made their free throws to advance.
“We work on free throws before practice and after practice. Foul shots and defense are going to win you games,” Avery said. “We did a nice job tonight and I’m so proud of the team.”
When asked how his team coped without its leading scorer, Avery spoke about his seniors and a “next-man-up” mentality.
“Shy got in foul trouble, but we didn’t get rattled. We knew we had a few guys on the bench who could step up, but we also had guys on the court who could score. One man went down and the next man stepped up,” Avery said. “It’s a credit to my administration, our staff, and our players. Our seniors have carried us all season with their experience — and defense wins ball games.”
Reynolds spoke about his senior teammates.
“We’ve been playing for years going back to fifth grade. Every day, we put the same amount of work in and we all worked hard and that’s why we’re here,” he said. “It’s a blessing. We worked hard to get here and I think it’s only up from here.”
In a tough environment, Avery said he wouldn’t have wanted to be anywhere else.
“I love it. I’ve been here before and I love doing this,” Avery said. “It’s great for our guys to get here and experience it. What can I say? We won on the road. That’s why you play Swampscott and St. Mary’s. It carries down the road. It’s a marathon, not a sprint.”
Classical will face No. 2 Salem in the semifinals (TBD).
