Race for postseason is ready for takeoff in Boston City League

With the boys' basketball season nearing its midway point and teams beginning to find their identities, the landscape in the Boston City League is beginning to take shape. As the schedule moves closer to tournament time, teams will be fighting to secure a postseason berth, and hopefully at least one home game.

Defending City champion East Boston is off to a 4-1 start in league play, but coach Malcolm Lee thinks his young team has plenty of room for improvement. . The Jets lost 10 players from last season's team, and this year's squad has 10 sophomores among its 13 players.

"The bottom line is we're too young and too inexperienced to make any type of serious run for the City title this year," Lee said. "We're probably headed for a fourth-place finish in the league this season."

Here's a look at some of the action this week that could have ramifications down the road.

South Boston (0-8, 0-4 BCL) at Charlestown (2-4, 2-2 ), Tuesday, 4:30 p.m.

The Townies have struggled by Charlestown standards, although guard Joseph Bushfan has been a bright spot, averaging 14 points per game. Point guard Junior Medina leads the team in steals, while forward Taejhan Taylor is the squad's top rebounder.

Charlestown's strength is shooting, with the team hitting better than 40 percent from the field. Defensively, though, the Townies are inconsistent.

"We're still struggling with chemistry, trying to figure out our roles on the team," coach Edson Cardoso said. "We need to work on being more unselfish offensively, too."

A win over winless Southie Tuesday sets Charlestown up for a chance to get to .500 when the Townies face Madison Park Thursday.

Senior guard Nate Nunes and senior forward Donny Whalen lead struggling South Boston.

Coach Hakim Johnson said the team is competitive, but transition defense is still an issue.

"One or two possessions can really change a game," Johnson said. "We're tasting [victory]; it's right there. We're competing."

Snowden (3-2, 2-2) at Latin Academy (4-3, 2-3), Thursday, 4:30 p.m. Snowden, which won only five games last season as a Division 4 school, is close to matching that amount already. The addition of freshman point guard Jherson Colon has given the team a big lift.

Senior Justin Robinson averages 20 points per game for Snowden, while senior Jose Vasquez does it all, averaging 17 points and rebounding well from his guard position.

Snowden's strength is its versatility. The 6-foot-4-inch Vasquez allows the team to go big when he plays shooting guard, and the team can also go small and push the tempo.

Coach Drew Hughes-Brock said his team needs to improve on the defensive end.

"Help defense is the top thing," he said. "We work on it every single day in practice. We need to be smarter defensively."

Latin Academy is led by the strong guard play of Armani Gill and Aaron Bray, with each player contributing about 17 points per game. Senior Mike Etheridge is Mr. Versatility for Latin, doing a little bit of everything.

After starting the season 0-2, Latin Academy has rebounded to win four of five games and recorded a big victory over Charlestown last Friday.

Coach Dan Bunker said defense has been the catalyst for his team's success. Opponents are averaging just over 60 points per game in the fast-paced City League.

O'Bryant (6-1 overall, 5-0) at Dorchester (2-2, 2-2), Friday, 4:30 p.m. O'Bryant has been one of the strongest teams in the City League so far, with its only loss coming against nonconference foe Catholic Memorial, by 3 points. Senior forward Ike Azotam averages 19.4 points for the Tigers, while junior point guard Marco Banegas (16.1 points) has ignited the O'Bryant attack with a few highlight-reel dunks.

Coach Juan Figueroa said the team's strength is its defense; since allowing 81 points to Brighton, the Tigers have been shutting down their opponents with greater efficiency.

"We really pride ourselves on our defense," Figueroa said. "We've been coming into shape defensively, but we can still improve."

Dorchester's best asset is its experience, with seven seniors on the roster, including four starters. Guard Darius Carter is the team's top scorer, dropping in about 30 points per game, while versatile guard Jaliel Langston averages 14 points, 10 rebounds, and 8 assists.

The quickness of the Dorchester team also allows it to set the pace both offensively and defensively.

"We're mentally tough and we stay in it," coach John Evans said. "We don't give up and we always find a way to win."

New Mission (3-2, 3-2) at Boston English (3-5, 2-2), Friday, 4:30 p.m. A trio of talented sophomores paces the New Mission attack. Darius Davis handles point guard duties, and forwards Charles Gunter and Samir McDaniel are often at the receiving end of his passes.

New Mission's size and athleticism allows it to mix things up on the defensive end. The team keeps its opponents off-balance by playing a variety of defenses.

"You can't run a good defense unless your team is smart," coach Cory McCarthy said. "That's a credit to the kids having high basketball IQs. It helps to have smart kids."

The Boston English offense is led by senior forward Jhonneris Mendez and 6-8 forward Harris Massey. Daeshawn Dell has also been a factor from the guard position.

Coach Barry Robinson said his team's best asset has been its strong chemistry.

Robinson said his team still needs to improve on closing out games, with a few potential wins having slipped away in the final moments.

The Jan. 6 matchup between Malden Catholic and St. John's Prep featured two coaches with ties to each other. Prep coach Sean Connolly coached Bishop Fenwick for the previous four years. He took over for current Malden Catholic coach Jim Silvio, who was the head man at Fenwick before serving as an assistant at St. Mary's and Lynn English for the past four years. St. John's won, 62-56 . . . Although Malden was without top scorer Egi Gjikondi during a 58-50 loss to Everett Friday, that doesn't take anything away from the Crimson Tide's victory. Jerome Cohen, Kyon Watkins, and Nerlens Noel dominated in the paint, and the taller Everett defenders were able to harass Malden's 3-point marksmen. Noel, a freshman, was especially impressive, contributing an all-around effort that helped Everett notch the impressive road victory . . . Lexington senior guard Lance Green helped his team notch two tough road wins this week. In a 78-49 win at Reading, Green had 23 points and seven assists; in a 73-64 victory at Stoneham, Green had 29 points and five assists. Lexington is 6-1 . . . Freshman guard Greg Statho helped key a big comeback by Mystic Valley over North Shore Friday. Down by 14 points in the fourth quarter, Mystic Valley roared back to claim a 55-51 victory. Statho finished with 23 points. Last week, he broke the school's single-game scoring record with 32 points in a victory over Bristol Aggie . . . Brockton will be at Durfee Tuesday in a matchup of two undefeated Big Three Conference teams. Brockton then hosts New Bedford Friday.