Published in the January 31, 2018 edition

By DAN PAWLOWSKI

LYNNFIELD — The Lynnfield High boys’ basketball team split two home Cape Ann League games last week to bring their record to 10-3 overall and 9-2 in CAL play.

The Pioneers started the mini-homestand off with a resounding 71-52 win over Ipswich on Tuesday, Jan. 23. The win officially qualified the Pioneers for a state tournament berth.

Lynnfield took complete control in the 3rd when they outscored the Tigers 22-8. The Pioneers were led by senior co-captain Billy Arseneault who scored 26 points in three quarters. Arseneault was aggressive from the jump as he went 9-for-10 from the free throw line.

JASON NDANSI receives a drop-off pass from Billy Arseneault against Masco on Friday night. Arseneault had to find his teammates for most of this game as the Chieftains double-teamed and denied him the ball all night. (Dan Pawlowski Photo)

Fellow co-captains Dan Jameson (13 pts.) and Zack Shone (9 pts.) also chipped in, as did seniors Jason Ndansi (8) and Matt Mortellite (7).

That win set up another huge tilt against Kinney-rival Masconomet on Friday night.

It was an excellent back-and-forth tug of war for 32 minutes, much like their previous matchup on January 7 which the Pioneers won 78-72.

The Pioneers took a four-point lead late in the 4th, but the Chieftains closed on a 9-2 run to escape LHS with a three-point victory.

“We got incredibly soft and that’s how we lost the game. That’s it,” said Lynnfield head coach Scott MacKenzie. “We got beat for offensive rebounds on free throws. We stopped playing tough. I’m not saying we stopped playing hard, the guys always play hard, but we stopped playing tough. They went on a 9-2 run. Game over.”

Lynnfield took a 65-61 lead after a drive from Jameson. He found some space because his shot was on all night as he connected on three triples and accounted for 17 points.

Masco then wore down Lynnfield completely to take the win.

Masco’s bench was a little deeper, but to coach MacKenzie’s point, the Pioneers didn’t come up with the tough, hard-hat plays that don’t show up in box scores.

The two teams play significantly different styles. Coach MacKenzie said Lynnfield’s finesse game didn’t surprise Masco the same way the Chieftains physical style of play didn’t surprise his team.

“We are not a physical team. That’s the difference in the game,” said MacKenzie.

Masco took a 20-14 lead after one, proving their desire to win this one. Lynnfield got better in the 2nd and even better in the 3rd as Shone scored 15 of his team-high 22 in those two quarters, to give Lynnfield a 53-52 lead heading into the 4th.

Although Arseneault finished with 18, he was limited to one basket in the 4th quarter, as Masco refused to let the reigning CAL MVP beat them twice in one season. Arseneault scored 14 points in the final quarter during their Jan. 7 matchup to will Lynnfield to victory.

Getting double-teamed and denied off the ball is nothing new to Arseneault, but the Chieftains presented him with a special kind of intensity, pressure, and yes, toughness, that the Pioneers haven’t seen yet this year. The final score doesn’t always tell an accurate story of the game. In this case, it did.

““Their style of play was three points better than us,” said MacKenzie.

Masco (8-3) is currently third in the Kinney Division while Lynnfield is tied with Newburyport (10-3) for first.

The Pioneers played Manchester-Essex on Tuesday night after press time. Lynnfield hosts North Reading (4-6) on Friday night at 6:30 p.m.