LYNN – After igniting the nets for the first three-plus quarters, the Tech boys hoopsters went flat for a stretch in the final quarter last night against Newburyport. The Clippers, who had trailed, 55-54, early in the fourth, went on an 11-3 run that spanned a good chunk of the period.Though the Tigers got to within a pair in the final moments, Newburyport’s Chris Jayne hit a free throw (the team hit 13 of them in the final stanza, with Tech only hitting five) in the final seconds to lift the Clippers past Tech, 74-71, in the quarterfinals of the Division 3 North sectionals at the Tech Fieldhouse.Newburyport (14-7) will face the winner of tonight’s Hamilton-Wenham/Pentucket contest.”We really picked the wrong time to go cold,” said Tech coach Marvin Avery, whose club finished at 15-6. “They went on that nice tear in the fourth, and they won the game at the line.”No one was more effective in the final quarter from the line than Newburyport’s 6-5 center, Eric Meyer. After finishing the first half with just two points, and coming into the final period with just eight, he sank nine-of-ten freebies (with 11 points in the stanza).With 1:12 to go, the Tigers trailed, 69-62. Yet guard Richie Warren Jr. (37 points, with 24 of them in the second half) drilled a three to bring the team to within 69-65. The Clippers then turned the ball over with 42.9 seconds remaining. However, guard Michael Duarte missed a pair from the line moments later. The teams traded free throws, and the Clippers held a 72-66 edge. Yet Warren connected on another three with 17.6 seconds remaining to cut the deficit to three.Teammate Ronnie Williams soon rebounded a missed three-pointer by Duarte and deposited the ball through the Clippers net with five seconds to go to bring Tech to within 73-71. However, Clippers guard Chris Jayne hit one-of-two from the line with 3.8 seconds left for the win.”I told the kids at the beginning of the season that we’d be together 90 days,” said Newburyport coach Tom L’Italien, whose sister is engaged to Avery. “This is day 93. I ask them that they give the same effort at this point of the season that they did on day one.”Just as Newburyport had no answer for Warren (who tied the game at 52 with a buzzer-beating three heading into the final period), the Tigers had none for Meyer. He continued to muscle his way down low, banking his shots off the glass.”We really had no answer for him,” Avery said. “(Center) Cam (Womack) did his best dealing with the adversity, but Meyer’s tough for one guy to cover.”Gallo (13) and Duarte (12) were the other Tigers with double digit scoring. In addition to Meyer, Jayne, guard Matt Leavitt, and forward Brett Fontaine each added 13.