Boys Hoop Drops Heartbreaker to Saugus

The Revere High boys basketball team dropped a heartbreaking 62-60 decision to Saugus last Tuesday evening at the Merullo fieldhouse.

The contest was an outstanding high school game between two teams who are vying for a spot in the post-season state tournament. The Patriots came into the game with an 8-6 mark, while Saugus was 7-7. Both squads saw the tilt as a “must win” situation to further their state tourney ambitions.

The encounter was a tight, hard-fought battle all the way, with Revere leading 13-10 after one quarter, but Saugus taking the initiative at the half, 26-25, and after three frames, 44-43.

The outcome came down to the final moments, with Revere holding a 60-59 edge with 10 seconds to play and Saugus with the ball.

The Patriots denied the ball to Saugus’ top shooter, who had sunk three treys earlier in the contest, but the ball found its way to a Sachem in the corner who had scored two baskets all night. He let fly a long shot over the outstretched hand of a Patriot defender and got nothing but net, putting his team up 62-60 with 4.6 ticks left on the clock.

Revere ran a play to get a final shot, but it fell short at the buzzer.

“This was a very tough loss for us,” said RHS head coach Rick Hayes. “We played well enough to win, but Saugus threw up a shot at the end and it went in. But that’s just the way it goes sometimes.”

Geo Gomez led the Pats in the scoring column with 15 points. Mike Ciambelli with 11 and Tommy Sor with 10 also reached double figures for Revere. Mike Dreeszen drained a trio of shots from three point land for nine points, followed by Dom Boyce with eight, Ravi Ryland with five, and Doug Zingali with two.

The contest was an unusual one from the standpoint of the paucity of trips to the foul line by both teams. Revere was 5-for-8 from the line and Saugus was 3-for-4.

Three nights later the Patriots hosted the Lynn English Bulldogs, one of the big dogs of the Northeastern Conference. Revere played well, but came out on the short end of an 85-74 decision.

The Pats held a 21-19 lead at the first buzzer and the score was knotted at 35-35 with under a minute to go in the half. A key to the Pats’ success was their ability to break the English full court zone press which led to a number of layups and forced English to abandon the tactic in favor a of a man-to-man defense. However, three turnovers by the Pats led to a three-hoop run by the Bulldogs for a 41-35 advantage at the intermission.

Revere came out strong from the locker room and battled back to even matters once again, 52-52, late in the third period. However, English is one of those teams that can put up points in a hurry and a nine point run to finish off the quarter left the Bulldogs with a 61-52 cushion, a deficit from which the Pats never were able to recover.

“We played very well for most of the game, but turnovers in spurts killed us,” said Hayes. Boyce and Ciambelli shared scoring honors for the Patriots with 16 points apiece. Gomez hit for 13; Sor and Chris Hinajosa both added nine; Dreeszen popped in six; Steve Selevitch and Paul Beckford contributed two each; and Ryland sank a free throw.

Hayes had particular praise for Hinajosa, who provided a nice spark for the Patriots.

With their record now at an even-steven 8-8, Hayes and his crew must win two of their four remaining contests if they are to finish the season at .500 in order to punch a ticket for a Journey to the Tourney.

The Patriots began their final week of the campaign last night (Tuesday) at Lynn Classical and will travel to Salem Friday. They stay on the road to Beverly next Tuesday and then host Peabody next Thursday in the season finale that will be highlighted by Senior Night festivities.

Boys track finishes fourth in NEC Meet

The Revere High boys indoor track received some outstanding performances to attain a strong fourth place finish at the Northeastern Conference all-league meet held Thursday at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center.

Robert Rose claimed an NEC title in the long jump with a leap of 19-8. The talented Rose almost turned in a double-winning afternoon, taking second place in the 300 dash in 36.71 seconds. Rose also was a member of the Revere 4 x 400 relay team that took home first place honors in a time of 3:33.11.  Karim Sahila, Zack Primo, and Johnny Lopes were the other members of the Revere record-setting quartet who shattered the previous mark of 3:35.5 that had been set in 1986.

Three Patriots almost won NEC titles, but came up just short with second place performances in their individual events. Sahila grabbed second spot in the 55 meter hurdles in 8.06. Karim had topped the field in the qualifying heats.

Tarik Maddrey was another Patriot who grabbed a second place ribbon with an outstanding high jump of 6-4. Tarik also ribboned for Revere in the 55 meter hurdles with a sixth place finish in 8.66.

Joey Ritchie, who just last week set a new Revere High school record with a long jump of 20-2, took second place with a jump of 19-2.75 behind teammate Rose.

Two other Patriots earned ribbons with top-six finishes. Omar Morales brought home a fifth place medal in the shotput with a toss of 45-4.75. Johnny Lopes took sixth place in the 300 dash in 38.22.

The other Revere relay teams also medaled with a fourth in the 4 x 200 in 1:38.86 and a sixth in the 4 x 800 in 9:22.49.

The boys host Saugus this evening (Wednesday) in the final dual meet of the season.

Girls basketball teams blasts Saugus

The Revere High girls basketball team had an easy time of it last Tuesday against Saugus, handily dispatching the Lady Sachems by a lopsided score of 67-31.

“This was an all-around great effort,” said RHS head coach Katelyn Leonard. “From start to finish our defense was on point, creating many turnovers and finishing on the fast break. This was a great team victory, and everyone contributed. We finished with 16 steals on the game, and many more deflections.”

The senior captain duo of Gena Restiano (19 points and seven steals) and Caitlin Caramello (14 points and 11 rebounds) turned in their usual strong, two-way effort to set the pace for the Lady Patriots. Jen Fajardo also came through with a fine performance and reached double figures with 14 points. Gianna Bua added eight points, followed by Tiphani Harris (seven rebounds) and Adanna Hector with three points each, and the quartet of Adrianna Borriello, Danielle Smith, Amy Rotger, and Ally Hinojosa with two points apiece.

However, three days later the Lady Patriots were on the other side of a 60-31 defeat to Lynn English, whom Revere had defeated in the first game of the season.

“English came ready to pay us back, and they did,” said Leonard. “In the first half, we broke their press effectively, but couldn’t keep them off the offensive boards. English took close to 45 shots in the first half, and jumped out to a 10 point lead. In the second half, they came out more aggressive in their press, and caused & converted on turnovers. In the third quarter they opened up the lead, and never looked back.

“Their defense stifled our offense, and they overwhelmed us on the offensive boards. It was a tough night all around,” added the coach.

Restiano reached double figures with 14 points, while Caramello almost achieved another double-double with nine points and 10 rebounds. Fajardo and Rotger added three points and Bua chipped in two.

The Lady Patriots were set to host Lynn Classical last night (Tuesday) and will stay at home to entertain Salem Friday and Beverly next Tuesday.

RHS girls 4 x 200 relay qualifies for state meet

The Revere High girls indoor track 4 x 200 relay team qualified for the State Divisional Meet with a fifth place finish in Thursday’s Northeastern Conference Meet held at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center.

The quartet of Comfort Toglan, Raychel Adreani, Brenda Rudecindo, and Angeli Buenaventura sped around the track in 1:56.24, easily making the qualifying time of 1:57.24 and also coming within 0.57 of a second of setting a new Revere High school record.

“The highlight of the meet for us was the 4 x 200 meter relay,” said RHS girls head coach Sam Ros. “Coming into the meet, I knew they could qualify for the Division 1 State Meet and also had a shot at our school record. They just missed the school record time, but after analyzing the race, with better hand-offs and a little more effort, I know the record can be bettered.”

Nikki Nelson medaled in the two mile run, finishing sixth in a time of 12:00.89.  “Nikki continues to be our most consistent and reliable distance runner,” said Ros.

The Lady Patriot  4 x 800 meter relay team finished fifth to win a medal in 11:16.35.  The team consisted  of Hayley Mangino, Maggie DiPlatzi, Cristina Martinez, and Nelson, who was coming back on a short rest after her two mile run. “The girls ran well and ran tough to earn that medal,” noted Ros.

At Sunday’s Last Chance to Qualify Meet held at the RLTAC.  Nelson again put in a great effort, this time running the mile.  Nikki ran 5:45.70, bettering her best time by nine seconds and missing states by only eight seconds. “Nikki is only a junior and she has a great shot at qualifying next year,” said Ros.

Comfort Toglan continued to run well in the 300,  again breaking her own school record with a time of 44.95. “I can’t say enough good things about Comfort,” said the coach. “Her hard work during the season has paid off with faster and faster times as the season winds down.”

After her school record performance, Comfort came back to lead off the 4 x 200 meter relay team.  The team consisted of Comfort, Raychel, Brenda, and Angeli.

“After the conference meet and just missing the school record, our goal for the Last Chance Meet was to set the record,” said Ros. “Comfort gave us a good lead in our heat, keeping us a little better than pace for the record.  Raychel maintained the lead and the record was still looking good.  Brenda slowed down a little but the record was still possible when Angeli took the baton.

“When I stopped my watch, I knew we either just broke it or just missed it,” continued Ros. “We just had to wait for the official time, which then came up as 1:55.69   the girls had tied the school record!  With one more shot at States, I’m very confident the girls can be sole owners of the record.”

The record was previously set in 2010 by the foursome of Amanda Digitale, Theresa Santiano-McHatton, Ha Nguyen, and Camden Sigouin.

“I know they’ll be keeping an eye on that record in the weeks to come,” added Ros.

The Lady Patriots we have one last home meet this evening (Wednesday) at 5:45 against Saugus.

“This will be a very tight meet for us and a win will give us a 4-3 record and a winning season,” said Ros. The evening will be highlighted by Senior Night festivities in which each of the seniors will be honored for their contributions to the girls indoor team with roses.

RHS hockey team hosts Salem tonight

The Revere High hockey team will be shooting for its first win of the season tonight (Wednesday) when the Patriots host Salem at Cronin Rink. Face off time is 6:30.

The teams battled to a 2-2 tie in their first encounter before Christmas in a contest in which the Pats held a 2-0 lead throughout the game until Salem scored two goals in the final 3:30 to come away with the tie.

Revere dropped both of its encounters this past week, 5-1 to Lowell last Wednesday and 7-0 to Marblehead Saturday. Marco Mazzarelli scored the Revere tally against Lowell.

“We played well for periods at a time, but then we have some breakdowns and make mistakes that give our opponents opportunities,” said RHS head coach Joe Ciccarello. In the contest with Marblehead, which is in first place in the South Division of the Northeastern Conference, Revere battled to a 0-0 tie midway through the second period until a penalty gave Marblehead a power play that led to the go ahead goal.

After tonight’s game with Salem, Revere will entertain Rockport Saturday evening at 5:10 at Cronin.

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