GBL Champions! Lynn Classical Finishes a Perfect 14–0 in League Play

Undefeated and undisputed.

Coach Tom Sawyer’s Lynn Classical High School girls basketball team defeated Lynn English, 56-33, Tuesday to capture the Greater Boston League championship.

GBL CHAMPIONS: The Lynn Classical High School girls basketball team captured the Greater Boston League championship for the 2022-23 season. Front row, from left, are Lauren Wilson, Savannah Tang, Maegan Baker, Lauren Hennessey, Kylee Mills, Kaleigh Bullock, and Ava Thurman. Back row, from left, are Coach Tom Sawyer, Coach Shardaye Berry, Keisha Perez, Nevaeh Eth, Linda Jallow, Akiyah Brown, Gigi Ramirez, Mea Papazoglou, Coach Alina Garrity, and Coach Rob Smith

Classical won all 14 of its GBL games while leading the league in all statistical offensive and defensive categories. Classical defeated English twice in league play and in the Boverini Tournament championship game by a 50-35 score. English (11-6) gave Classical its toughest game of the season in an earlier GBL matchup won by Classical, 44-42.

Classical (17-0 overall) will be looking to complete a perfect regular season with a non-league game versus Triton league and a home-and-home series with Saugus remaining on the schedule. Classical will compete in the MIAA Division 1 Tournament.

Coach Travonne Berry Rogers’ Lynn English team, who defeated Classical on a last-second, coast-to-coast basket by Rosie Chheang in last year’s championship game, will also advance to the MIAA Tournament.

Lynn Classical last completed an undefeated regular season in 2004 under Coach Gene Constantino.

Continuing its trademark approach, Lynn Classical showed its overall balance on offense in the GBL finale versus English.

Three players reached double figures. Senior Ava Thurman led the way with 18 points. Sophomore Keisha Perez contributed 17 points. Senior Lauren Hennessey scored 10 points.

Thurman and Hennessey have been excellent, four-year varsity players for the Rams and are regarded as the GBL’s best backcourt duo. Perez has stepped up her overall game this season and become a dependable scorer, rebounder, and defender.

Sawyer, who is approaching the 200-victory milestone in his superb coaching career, said the keys to his team’s success this season have been its game-by-game focus, its balance on offense, and its tenacious, court-length defense that has led to numerous baskets.

“I believe the keys to our season to this point have been our ability to focus on one game at a time, one game plan at a time, and execute that at both ends of the floor,” said Sawyer. “Another key has been our balance which I would like to believe makes us more difficult to guard.  Throughout our 17 games thus far each of our five starters has been the leading scorer in the game more than once during the season.   I also believe we defend with purpose, and we have been scoring points in a variety of ways such as off defensive deflections or steals, off out-of-bounds plays, in transition after a defensive rebound, and in our halfcourt offense, both from our guards and our forwards.”

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