It took an extra four minutes, but Lynn English accomplished what no other team was able to this season.
The Bulldogs (25-2) beat previously undefeated Brockton, 90-83, in overtime in the EMass Division 1 boys' basketball final last night at TD Banknorth Garden.
The Bulldogs advance to play St. John's of Shrewsbury Saturday in the state final at the DCU Center in Worcester.
Junior guard Ryan Woumn led English with a career-high 39 points, including 7 in overtime.
"I told Coach, 'Give me the rock,' " Woumn said. "To tell you the truth, I expected [to play this well]."
Woumn made the Boxers (23-1) pay by sinking 18 of 22 attempts from the foul line.
"We knew [Woumn] was the guy to stop," Brockton coach Robert Boen said. "We put him at the foul line a lot, and you sure can't do that the way he shoots foul shots. He had a great game."
Woumn's two free throws with nine seconds left tied it, 75-75, at the end of regulation.
Brockton took a 79-77 edge after a layup by senior forward Louis Montes, but English responded with 13 of the next 15 points, 9 at the foul line, to take a 90-81 advantage with 30 seconds remaining.
One of the keys was that Brockton's deep bench did not wear down the Bulldogs, who regularly use nine or 10 players.
"We knew it was going to be a really different ballgame and we weren't going to wear them down," Boen said.
The first half was played at a torrid pace, with Woumn's 16 points leading the way for English. The highlight of the night came when Woumn converted a layup from a seated position with just under two minutes remaining in the half, which ended with English leading, 41-33.
But in the third quarter, Brockton guard Henry Vargus stepped up. The senior scored 15 of his 20 points after the break, and his 3-pointer from just inside halfcourt pulled Brockton within 59-55 after three.
"We knew we had our hands full coming into this game," English coach Buzzy Barton said. "But basketball is a game of runs, and we knew they were going to make a run."
"[Vargus] really turned the game around," Boen said. "He really got us back into it, almost single-handedly."
English took a 72-60 advantage with three minutes left in the fourth, but Brockton's pressure defense forced Bulldog turnovers. A 3-pointer by senior guard Tim Young and a free throw by Montes put the Boxers up by 2 with less than 20 seconds left, but Woumn's foul shots tied the game and Brockton was unable to get a good look on the last possession.
English sank 11 of 15 free throws in the extra period to seal the win.
After the game, Woumn summed up his mind-set when he stepped to the line in OT.
"Take two, knock them down," he said. "Go out there and win. And that was that."
