Photos and story by Cary Shuman
The Lynn Classical High School girls basketball team celebrated a successful 2024-25 season in which the Rams qualified for the MIAA State Tournament, the tenth year in a row that Coach Tom Sawyer’s program has earned a berth in the postseason.
The Rams finished the regular season with a 13-6 record and claimed a first-round playoff victory over Hudson, rallying from an eight-point halftime deficit on Hudson’s home court for a 44-36 triumph. Classical won the championship in the Walter Boverini City Tournament, defeating Lynn Tech and Lynn English. Classical also bested a strong Southeastern Regional team on a long road trip to the South Shore and Malden at the Golden Tornadoes’ home gymnasium.
Reflecting on the Rams’ state tournament victory, the program’s first in eight seasons, Sawyer said, smiling, “We’ll be going to Texas Roadhouse to [celebrate the victory]. It will be a set menu of nothing but hamburgers.”
Classical head coach Tom Sawyer began his remarks by thanking the parents for their support of the program.
“Thank you for helping out at the Snack Snack, for your fundraising, and just supporting the kids and the team,” said Sawyer.
He also thanked his assistant coaches, Rob Smith, Shardaye Berry, and Chenysse Hill.
“I’m blessed with tremendous assistant coaches,” said Sawyer. “They’re good basketball coaches and they’re great people and that is so important because you know that your children are surrounded by great people.”
Sawyer continued his remarks, stating, “in total, I think we had an enjoyable season. We had some success on the court. We had fun off the court. I think as coaches we found this to being a very enjoyable year. We certainly hope the players found it to be an enjoyable experience as well. That is ultimately our goal: to make it as enjoyable as we can for every student-athlete that plays for Classical.”
Sawyer noted the outstanding contributions of seniors and varsity captains Savannah Tang, Keisha Perez, and Nevaeh Eth, during their years in the program.
“Tonight is about our three seniors,” said Coach Sawyer. “They left their mark on the program. They won two league titles, and they won a state tournament game. Our seniors certainly left their mark, and they will be greatly missed. I’m proud to say that they are all going to be continuing their education in college.”
In their individual speeches, the three seniors related how proud they were to represent Lynn Classical High School in the basketball program.
The seniors also expressed their gratitude to coaches Tom Sawyer, Smith, Ron Smith, Shardaye Berry and Chenyse Hill for helping them improve their basketball skills and for making their experience in the program enjoyable and memorable. They also wished the returning players the best of luck in the future.