ROXBURY – Eight great minutes was all that fifth-seeded O’Bryant needed last night to dispatch of No. 4 Tech Boston in a Division 2 South quarterfinal game at Latin Academy in Roxbury.
A dominating second quarter from the Tigers expanded what had been a two-point first quarter lead into a 20-point halftime advantage, and from there O’Bryant coasted throughout the second half on its way to an 88-76 victory over the Bears.
O’Bryant (17-6) now awaits the winner of today’s Falmouth/Scituate quarterfinal in the semifinals.
“In the second quarter, we executed perfectly,” said O’Bryant coach Drew Brock after his team finished 12-for-20 from the field in the frame. “In the (second quarter) we committed to running, and we made (Tech Boston) play 5-on-5, and we didn’t turn the ball over.”
Up 17-15 after a choppy opening quarter, O’Bryant, behind the play of sophomore Rivaldo Soares (24 points, 10 rebounds) and senior Romario Ebanks (19 points) used a 13-3 run to race ahead, 40-24. And from there, the Tigers kept their foot on the gas pedal finishing the half on a 22-8 run to grab a 49-29 lead at the break.
Tech Boston (17-6) upped the intensity and their full-court pressure to start the third quarter, and despite two scoring runs of 6-0 – fueled by the play of Walter Dew Hollins (23 points) and Korvonne Whitehall (20 points) – the Bears could only shave two points off their halftime deficit (64-46) heading into the fourth quarter.
And in the fourth, O’Bryant eighth-grader Desonte Bowen was the finisher. Bowen scored 12 of his 16 points in the quarter, and a thunderous two-handed dunk by Soares in the final minute put any last-second comeback for Tech Boston to bed.
“I’d like to think that we are battle-tested,” Brock said. “But we will be in for a challenge no matter who we play next.”
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