By Cary Shuman
The Lynn Classical girls basketball team enjoyed one of its best victories of the Coach Tom Sawyer Era, rallying in the second half to defeat Revere, 49-47, Friday in a battle for first place in the Northeastern Conference.
Irianis Delgado scored the winning basket on a layup after making a steal at midcourt. Delgado finished 16 points. Tyarah Horton netted 11 points while Jeylly Medrano piloted the offense well with eight points and nine assists.
Both teams entered the game with undefeated records in NEC play.
“The team played a tremendous game,” said Coach Sawyer. “The players executed the game plan, especially on defense. They made enough plays, different players making different play, Ultimately, Irianis made a huge midcourt steal in a tie game and finished it off with a layup for the margin of victory.”
Sawyer said the victory ranks among the program’s best over the past several years.
“It’s a big win because both teams were undefeated in the conference,” said Sawyer. “Our win over North Andover in the tournament was a big win, too, so I don’t want to compare wins from one year to the next, but certainly beating an undefeated team in your conference is always big.”
Classical (8-0 NEC, 12-1 overall) stayed red hot with a 52-18 victory over Saugus Tuesday night. Paris Wilkey returned to the lineup (after being sidelined with an injury) and led all scorers with 17 points.
Classical has clinched a berth in the State Tournament. The Rams will compete in the Division 2 North Sectionals.
“It feels great to qualify for the State Tournament,” said Sawyer. “It’s very gratifying. It proves that the hard work that the kids put in during the offseason and during the season is paying off for them. While it’s a goal to get in the tournament, now we’re playing for seeding and trying to get homecourt advantage so there’s still a lot to play for.”
The Rams were able to defeat the defending NEC Large champions without the services of senior Paris Wilkey, who was sidelined by an injury.