Lynn English outruns Tech Boston

The game may not have counted in the standings, but Lynn English coach Antonio Anderson got all the answers he needed.

Ademide Badmus piled up 15 points and 21 rebounds while Mukeba Jean-Baptiste scored 16 points and had 7 blocks as Lynn English dominated two-time defending Div. 2 state champion TechBoston, 77-53, in an MIAA Endowment game on Saturday afternoon.

While the game was billed as a battle between defending state champions, it was the 2019 Div. 1 champion Bulldogs who took control from start to finish.

“This was a good test,” Anderson said. “We wanted to have a game where our kids are get after it. For a team to be as gritty as TechBoston, it teaches our guys not to take a break and to play for four quarters.”

Using its combination of size, speed, and physicality, Lynn English wore down TechBoston getting into the paint off the drive and finishing around the rim. When the Bulldogs’ guards did not convert, Badmus and Jean-Baptiste were often there to finish the job. In all, Lynn English amassed 27 offensive rebounds and had a 64-36 rebounding advantage for the game.

Defensively, meanwhile, the Bulldogs were nearly flawless baiting the Bears into quick, off-balance shots. When TechBoston’s players were able to navigate around the basket Jean-Baptiste, Badmus, and Jack Rodriguez were often there to wreak havoc deflecting shots and making the Bears uncomfortable. Jean-Baptiste had five of his blocks in the second quarter.

“(Mukeba) was big time tonight,” Anderson said. “We’ve been trying to get it out of him. We know what he is capable of and I think tonight was a big step forward. (TechBoston) is scrappy and very physical. For him to be able to finish and block shots – that’s what we need.”

Lynn English held a 13-9 lead after one quarter and took full control before half. Badmus exerted his will on a trio of baskets around the rim and moments later Mason Jean-Baptiste knocked down a transition trey to boost the Bulldogs lead to 24-12. Jean-Baptiste then got in on the act with a pair of dunks off TechBoston turnovers before Jack Rodriguez scored six straight to give Lynn English an insurmountable 40-18 lead at the break.

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/2MWwM4B