WINCHESTER – Boston Latin’s Yakub Finn hit the winning basket with 64 seconds remaining, leading the Wolfpack to a 53-51 boys basketball win on the road against Winchester.
A senior forward, Finn (19 points, 11 rebounds, 5 steals) was a key cog in the defensive heartbeat that allowed No. 24 Latin to upset No. 9 Winchester in the MIAA Division 1 state tournament.
“As a 24 seed, taking down the nine seed isn’t something that happens too often,” said Finn, who played with a sizable bandage on his forehead but vowed that nothing was preventing him from playing. “And it’s our defense that won us this game. We build our whole offense off our defense. That’s why getting back on defense is a privilege for us. We know that is a new opportunity to get the ball back and start another offensive possession.”
In a spirited contest that paid homage to the game of basketball, the intensity level was evident the moment this tipped off. Featuring 22 lead changes, constant back-and-forth action defined the entire game, and it was inevitable that the game would ultimately be decided on the final possession.
Boston Latin found a way to scratch and claw its way to a lead at the end of each quarter (15-14 after one, 25-22 at the half, and 37-36 after three), but the Sachems refused to go away. Dynamic point guard Jack Charchaflian (21 points, 11 assists) even had a chance to win at the buzzer for Winchester, but his half-court prayer bounced off the rim as time expired.
“As it was in the air, I thought it was going in,” said Winchester coach John Fleming, whose team won the Middlesex League. “I’m proud of our fight. I wish we had another day together, I really do. But give Boston Latin a lot of credit – they played really well.”
The victory marks a dozen straight for Latin (20-1). With the win against Winchester (16-5), the Wolfpack now move on to the Round of 16.
“We worked all season for this,” said Boston Latin sophomore guard Will White (16 points, 10 rebounds). “We knew shots would fall, but to beat a team like Winchester, we had to take pride in our defense. That’s what we do every practice, and it showed here.”
For Boston Latin coach Jerry Etienne, the number one tenet for his program is unrelenting effort on the defensive end.
“Defense, that’s our superpower,” said Etienne. “Our guys buy into that and embrace it, we want to play harder than you and guard you like our lives depend on it. That was the only way we were going to beat a team as talented as Winchester.”
Boston Latin’s uphill battle will continue on the road, traveling to No. 8 Bridgewater-Raynham for the right to be one of the last eight teams standing. But a resilient Latin team will be a tough out, and they have now hold another opportunity to throw the Division 1 bracket into complete disarray.
“Winchester is extremely tough, and we withstood the test,” said Etienne. “Hats off to my coaches and kids for coming to battle. Why not us?”