Lynn Classical surges in second half to defeat Chelsea, 67-46

The Greater Boston League, which has been dominated by Lynn English the last several seasons, has taken a turn with two programs that have gone through growing pains.

No team has been hotter that Chelsea (8-2, 7-1 GBL), which have turned things completely around under fourth-year head coach Cesar Castro, who has the Red Devils off to their best start since taking over.

On the opposite side, defending GBL champ Lynn Classical (7-2, 7-1 GBL) looked to bounce back from its 54-51 loss to Somerville this past Tuesday.

In the first half, the Rams jumped out to an 11-4 lead with a relentless attack on the offensive glass. Senior DJ Reynolds got things going with seven first-quarter points.

“What can I say about DJ, he just gets after it every single game,” said head coach Marvin Avery.

The Red Devils responded with a run of their own, closing out the first quarter on a 10-3 run to take a 14-13 lead after one.

“We applied pressure, we got up and ran,” said Castro.

The teams traded runs throughout the second quarter. With the game tied at 26, sophomore guard Devon Rucker knocked down a three-pointer as time expired to give the Rams a 29-26 lead.

In the second half, Lynn Classical ramped up its defense and offense, holding the Red Devils to eight points.

“The shots weren’t falling today,” said coach Castro.

Rams senior Deshawn Rucker, who scored six points in the first half, picked up his offense in the second half with 13 of his 19 points coming in the second half.

“My teammates had my back, so second half i came out and played with them and for them,” said Rucker

Defensively, the Rams held the Blue Devils to 20 second-half points while forcing 10 turnovers on the night. Offensively, four different Rams scored in double figures, led by Rucker’s 19 points and three steals. Reynolds almost notched a double-double with 17 points to go along with eight rebounds. Junior Darren Baker added 12 points and nine rebounds, and Shy Babb finished with 12 points, nine rebounds and six blocks.

“We know Chelsea is very fast and athletic and well coached and our guys met the challenge,” said Avery.

The Rams, feeling they let one get away from them against Chelsea, came into this one knowing first place in the league was at stake at this point in the season, took care of business to get back in the win column.

“Coming off the loss we regrouped at practice and came back with a lot of energy,” said Reynolds.