Lynnfield Boys Hold Off Whittier

Generally speaking, when the student body starts chanting "it's all over," the game, for the most part, is all but over. But when the Lynnfield students started their chant with 26.3 seconds left and the Pioneers holding a 73-68 lead over Whittier, the game was just beginning.

At the line for host Lynnfield was Lou Ellis, one of the best shooters on the North Shore. But Sunday afternoon in the Division 3 North quarterfinals, this wasn't the Ellis who earned Cape Ann League All-Star honors. The senior had been sick all week with the flu and according to his coach, wouldn't have played if the game was 24 hours earlier. The exhausted Ellis stepped to the line with a chance to seal the win. Instead the unthinkable, an air ball, his first of the year from the line as far as anyone could remember.

Whittier raced down the floor and a basket by Jamison Santos cut the margin to 73-70. Whittier then fouled CAL MVP Bill Areseneault but with 14.3 second remaining, Areseneault missed the front end. Whittier again attacked and with 6.6 seconds left, Jonathan Pryor was fouled and hit two free throws to make it 73-72. Whittier fouled Lynnfield's Mike Carangelo with 5.4 seconds to play and again the unthinkable, another missed free throw. But this time a long rebound landed in the hands of Zach Shone. He was fouled with 2.9 seconds left. Shone made one free throw to make it 74-72, then missed the second. By the time Whittier called time out there was 2.2 seconds to play. On the inbounds play, a long pass was intercepted by Ellis and finally, it actually was all over.

"Our defensive issues showed up again today," said Lynnfield coach Scott MacKenzie. "We survived and we're happy. You win and get to play Watertown. They made some shots down the end and we didn't make some some free throws. It was a combination of things. Fortunately we were able to be two points more on the right side of the margin. The defensive effort we saw tonight isn't going to work against Watertown."

As for Ellis (20 points), who went home from school early on Tuesday and missed the remainder of the week, MacKenzie rested him far more than normal but it wasn't easy for his senior star.

"Pushing the game back to Sunday helped," said MacKenzie. "He couldn't have played [Saturday]. He was out with the flu all week. He had no legs, he was dying at the end of the game."

The students' chant may have been a little off, but wearing hard hats and reflective vests the student section made the Pioneers home court look like a work site. And Lynnfield's 18th win of the year was hard work.

Lynnfield sprinted out to a quick 10-4 lead mid-way through the first quarter but a basket by Whittier (16-6) at the buzzer game them a 19-18 lead after one. When Whittier's lead expanded to 31-26, Lynnfield called time out with 4:49 to play in the second. That's when Carangelo (21 points) took over, scoring five straight baskets and adding blocked shots and rebounds on the defensive end. As a result of the 12-0 run, Lynnfield had a 38-31 lead before Whittier scored twice in the last minute to leave the Pioneers up 38-35 at the break.

Lynnfield kept up the pressure in the third and took its first double-figure lead at 56-46 courtesy of a 7-0 run. The score was 60-49 after three and when Whittier missed its first three shots of the fourth Lynnfield pushed its advantage to 66-51 with five minutes to play. That's when Whittier started chipping away, thanks in part to back-to-back 3-pointers by Kevin Bradley. But after an Areseneault (17 points) steal and layup it was 73-68 with 26.3 second left and time to cue the student section.

Next up is a semifinal matchup with top-seeded Watertown (19-2) Wednesday at Wilmington High School.