LYNN — If there’s any way to describe the English basketball team, it’s battle-tested. The Bulldogs finished the regular season at 18-2, fighting their way through a tough Northeastern Conference in the process. That record earned English a No. 1 seed in Division 1 North, where they earned a first-round bye before rolling through two teams from the vaunted Merrimack Valley Conference en route to a spot in the sectional final.
“We’ve been playing well, which is nice to see after coming off an extended rest (after the regular season),” said English coach Antonio Anderson. “We didn’t play for about 12 days after the Comcast tournament (on February 18), but coming out and playing a tough Lawrence team and then a tough Andover team really got us back in the groove.”
Anderson also noted how special it is for his team to be in this position.
“It’s huge for us as a program,” said Anderson, who is now in his second season at the helm. “It’s our second year here, and I don’t think the school has been this far in a decade, so it means a lot. It’s a huge accomplishment for the whole school, and getting the support from the students, the administration, the athletic director and everyone else has been huge.”
After their bye, the Bulldogs took on No. 8 Lawrence and earned a 82-63 win. Alonzo Linton had a massive game with 28 points and 15 rebounds, while Jarnel Guzman had 21 points. In the semifinal game against No. 12 Andover, Guzman led all scorers with 28 points and Linton had 14. Add to that the contributions of Justin Fitzpatrick (14 points against Andover), Joaquin Crespo (17 points against Lawrence) and others, and English is coming into the sectional final feeling pretty good about how it’s playing as a team.
“Obviously Alonzo and Jarnel get a lot of the attention, but it’s guys like Mason (Jean-Baptiste), Jack (Rodriguez), Justin (Fitzpatrick) Joaquin (Crespo) and all of those guys who have stepped up as well,” Anderson said. “Those guys all continue to make plays for us, and Alonzo and Jarnel are very unselfish and keep everyone involved. So it’s definitely been a team effort for us and it makes the game easier for everyone.”
The Bulldogs’ opponent in the Division 1 North final is No. 3 Central Catholic (21-3), another team from the MVC. Being from that conference means that the Raiders are also battle-tested, from their 18-3 regular season to their three wins in the tournament. It started with wins over No. 14 Chelsea (85-44) and No. 11 Cambridge (60-53), then Central had to go up against MVC foe No. 2 Lowell in the semifinal. After a back-and-forth battle, the Raiders earned a 67-61 win to move on to the final. George Smith led the way for Central with 22 points, while Kevin Constant had 18 points and 11 rebounds.
“We’ve heard a lot about the league (the MVC) and obviously it’s a good league with how many teams made the tournament, but you’ve still got to show up and play and that’s what we do,” said Anderson. “We’ve just got to play the opponent in front of us, stick to our game plan and execute. It’ll be no different on Saturday. They’re obviously battle-tested and we’re battle-tested, so we’ll leave it all out there.”
With two days between games, English (20-2) was back in the gym Friday afternoon for one final practice before the big game. Anderson says the team is feeling good, and the Bulldogs are excited to get back out on the court Saturday.
“The quick turnaround actually kind of helps because it keeps guys engaged and ready to go,” said Anderson. “I know our guys are itching to get back out there and I’m sure the guys at Central feel the same way so the sooner we’re able to get out there and play, the better.”
English and Central Catholic will tip off Saturday night (7:45) at Tsongas Arena.