BC High Defeats Brighton 55-51, Wins The Comcast Classic Championship

In a game where the players on both sides were hardly given any room to breathe, let alone enough space to get a clean shot off, it seemed fitting that the most crucial play came on a scramble for a loose ball. BC High, the #6 team in the state, led #11 Brighton for most of the Comcast Classic Championship game at Babson College. Up 52-51 with 30 seconds to play, the Eagles ran the clock down and Senior guard Charles Collins drove the lane for a tough floater in traffic. During the ensuing scrap for the rebound, the ball traveled all the way out to midcourt before another BC High senior, Jameilen James, hit the deck to secure the ball and call a timeout.

There were 4 seconds remaining. Brighton was forced to foul James on the inbounds play and he knocked down both free throws, thus sealing the tournament for BC High.

Nick Simpson led the way for Brighton with 17 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 blocked shots. He was rather efficient from three-point range (4 for 7) but the rest of the Bengals went 2 of 20 from deep. BC High’s tough zone defense deserves a lot of credit for this poor percentage, but Brighton’s shooters will certainly see these shots as missed opportunities that they need to rectify in the upcoming City League tournament.

Ball security was also an issue for the Bengals, as they turned it over 11 times in the first half alone. However they fought back, outscoring the Eagles in the second and third quarters before Prince Unaegbu threw down a thunderous dunk to tie it at 34. A few minutes later Simpson drained a three to give Brighton their first lead of the game at 40-37, but the Eagles answered right back.

Simpson Hits A Corner 3

Collins and Jones were immense for BC High throughout the game, and with a combined 24 points, 13 rebounds, and 7 assists from the two Senior guards, it’s easy to see why college scouts and coaches were in attendance to get a close look at their talents. However it was Senior Pete Timmins, a center with range, who hit several clutch three pointers to stop Brighton’s momentum and put the Eagles back in the drivers’ seat.

#13 Jones With A Tough Pull-up

After falling behind early in the fourth quarter, Timmins's big shots sparked a 12-4 run that put BC High in control up 49-44. Brighton guard Malik James started to take matters into his own hands and nearly closed the gap, but unfortunately the Bengals could not connect on a big outside shot when needed. James and Simpson were the stars on Sunday night when Brighton upset an undefeated Danvers team in the semifinals, yet towards the end of this game the Bengals ran out of gas against a very well-coached BC High team.

Timmins Drives Baseline

Brighton will take on South Boston in the semifinals of the City League Tournament on Wednesday February, 20^th at 4 p.m. at Madison Park High School.

Latin Academy Sweeps Indoor Track and Field City Championships

The Dragons of Boston Latin Academy won City Championships in both boys' and girls' Indoor Track & Field at the Reggie Lewis Center this afternoon.

In the boys' Championship, BLA started strong. Malik Anderson won the 55 Meter Dash with a time of 6.69 seconds. Sekou Stuppard followed that with a win in the 300 Meters. Anderson and Stuppard would later finish 5th and 4th in the High Jump, respectively.

The Dragons were consistently solid in each event, scoring points in all but one. Xavier Hill scored points in both the 55 Meter Hurdles and the Long Jump, with a jump of 19 feet, 2.5 inches. Damian Cruz finished 3rd in the shot-put with a toss of 40 feet, 4.5 inches. These points were vital, and gave BLA a 10 point lead going into the relays.

Latin finished 4th in the 4x200 Relay, but O'Bryant finished out of the points in 8th. That clinched the boys' Championship for the Dragons.

In the girls' Championship, BLA dominated from start to finish. DiAndrea Galloway won the High Jump and finished 2nd in the 55 Meter Dash. Ashley Lewis finished 2nd in the 300 Meters, and 5th in the High Jump. BLA scored 2nd and 3rd place in the 300. Then finished 1-2-3 in the 600 Meters, then 3-4-5 in the 1000. Catherine Van Even won the 1 Mile and the girls' Championship belonged to Latin Academy. As icing on the cake, the Dragons won the 4x400 relay.

Latin Academy finished with 120 points, almost a third of the total available.

This is 3rd straight City Championship for BLA's girls' indoor team.

Photo Gallery of the Event on Facebook

Here are the rankings from both Championships:

Boys':
1. Latin Academy - 58 points
2. O'Bryant - 51
3. Dorchester - 48
4. Brighton - 37
5. South Boston - 36
6. Charlestown - 30
7. Snowden - 23
8. East Boston - 21
8. West Roxbury - 21
10. English - 13
11. The Burke - 12
12. Madison Park - 10
13. CASH - 6
13. New Mission - 6

Girls':
1. Latin Academy - 120 points
2. O'Bryant - 83
3. West Roxbury - 67
4. Snowden - 24
5. New Mission - 23
6. Dorchester - 18
7. East Boston - 12
8. CASH - 10
9. South Boston - 8
10. Brighton - 4
11. English - 3