LYNN — Saturday afternoon’s Watler J. Boverini Tournament championship game pins a pair of undefeated teams against one another, both of which are playing their best basketball. English (5-0) and St. Mary’s (6-0), scheduled to tip-off at 4 p.m. at Tech’s Field House, will clash for Lynn bragging rights.
The Bulldogs defeated Classical, 90-69, in the opening round Thursday night. Jarnel Guzman, a transfer from St. John’s Prep, led English’s scoring with 29 points. Alonzo Linton poured in 21 points and Mason Jean-Baptiste added 15 points.
Classical hung tight with English at the end of the first quarter (down 21-18) but the Bulldogs built a double-digit lead from there and didn’t let it slip.
English lost to St. Mary’s in the opening round of last year’s Boverini Tournament.
“They brought it to us last year,” English coach Antonio Anderson said. “They came out swinging and we didn’t punch back. But it’s a lesson learned. They have a different team and so do we. Both myself and (St. Mary’s coach) Dave (Brown), we play a different style than last year. It’s a lot different from last year.”
Despite the changes in style of play and personnel on both sides, Anderson’s Bulldogs are eager for the rematch. St. Mary’s carries no shortage of scoring threats on its roster but Anderson said the Bulldogs will keep pace as long as they focus on playing their brand of basketball.
“They’re well coached,” Anderson said. “They have a ton of players that can do a lot. They’re deep. Dave plays a lot of guys. You can’t just worry about one person or they’ll hurt you with somebody else. You have to prepare for them in multiple ways. It’s not an easy task at all. Guys have to be focused and work as hard as they can.
“We have to stick to it,” Anderson added. “We just have to play our game and we’ll be OK. It’s going to be a dog fight. We have to stick to our game plan and execute it. We have to give it our best effort and leave it all on the floor.”
St. Mary’s earned its spot in the championship game with a 77-25 rout over Tech in the opening round Thursday. The Spartans started the game on a 10-0 run, led 28-5 at the end of the first quarter, emptied their bench from there and cruised to victory. Sammy Batista scored 18 points with three steals and two assists. Jalen Echevarria scored 13 points with four assists and three steals. Ademide Badmus added nine points and grabbed 10 rebounds.
Much like the Spartans, the Bulldogs have their own array of weapons that can knock down shots at any time. They’ll pose a challenge for St. Mary’s on the defensive end, Brown said.
“You have to pick and choose who you want to beat you,” Brown said. “Obviously Jarnel and Alonzo are the two guys that make that team go. Mason’s a good ballplayer and so is (Jack) Rodriguez. We’re going to pick our poison with who we want to get the open shots. We feel we have the advantage down low in the post. We’ll try to feed the ball in the post as much as possible.”
Both coaches agreed Saturday’s game gives Lynn a great chance to showcase the city’s basketball talent.
“St. Mary’s is one of the top teams,” Anderson said. “You’re getting the best of the best (in the Boverini). I know myself and Dave, we have some of the toughest schedules in the state. We prepare to play against the best teams. It gives the city a great opportunity.”
“This is great for the city to have two undefeated teams, two teams that are ranked Top 10 in the state,” Brown said. “We’ll have a great turnout Saturday afternoon, I assume. It’s going to help both teams in the long run. Obviously we want to win but win or lose this is going to help both teams in the long run. Playing in that competition, in that atmosphere, you learn a lot.”
