RHS Hockey Team Qualifies for Tourney

Although the Revere High hockey team is awaiting word on their appeal to the MIAA on a player eligibility question, the Patriots continued to forge ahead in a positive manner, defeating Northeast Regional Vocational School 6-0 Saturday evening at Cronin Rink to qualify for the post-season state tournament.

The victory was a fitting conclusion to an evening highlighted by Senior Night festivities at which the seven RHS seniors, Marco Mazzarelli, Cam Whalen, Brandon Mastropietro, Anthony Matos, Michael Martorelli, Christian Eaves, and goalie Adam Comeau, were honored for their years of dedication and contribution to the RHS hockey program.

“This has been a great group of boys who have helped turn the program around,” said RHS head coach Joe Cicarello. “We had set a goal of qualifying for the state tournament and that’s what we’ve done, regardless of the outcome of our appeal. They’ve worked hard and shown outstanding leadership for our team both on and off the ice. They have a lot to be proud of.”

Steve Noel scored two goals for the Patriots. Mazzarelli, Whalen, Anthony Cecca, and Rich Pollignone also lit the red lamp and Eaves scored his first career point, much to the delight of the Revere fans in attendance, with an assist on the sixth Revere tally. Comeau earned the shutout in net.

Last Thursday, the Patriots took on Winthrop, the second-best team in the Northeastern Conference behind only undefeated Beverly, and came out on the short end of a 5-0 decision. Despite the loss, Ciccarello was pleased with his team’s effort. “We played hard and we skated with Winthrop,” said the coach, whose team trailed by a slim 1-0 margin after the first period.  “We had our chances, but could not cash in. We gave it everything we had, as we always do against Winthrop, and played well, which is all that a coach can ask.”

The Patriots, who now are 9-5-2 on the season, travel to Somerville this evening (Wednesday) and trek to Lowell next Wednesday.

RHS girls hoop wins pair, reaches for tourney

The Revere High girls basketball team won both of its games this past week, defeating Northeastern Conference North Division rivals Lynn Classical and Salem, to move within striking distance of qualifying for a state tournament berth.  The Lady Patriots now stand at 7-9 on the season and need to win three of their four remaining contests to punch a ticket for a Journey to the Tourney.

In an exciting 53-50 win over Classical last Tuesday, Revere broke open what had been a tight contest through the first half with a nice run after the intermission, outscoring Classical 22-13 in the third period, to move out to a nice lead.

The visiting Lady Rams then made a run of their own in the final frame to make things interesting, but Revere held on down the stretch for the triumph. “This was a battle,” said RHS head coach Katelyn Leonard “Both Classical and we are fighting to get into the post-season, and it came down to who wanted it more. When we had to, our defense locked in, we secured the boards, and finished the game.”

Tiphani Harris was superb at both ends of the floor, finishing with a powerful double-double of 14 points and 18 rebounds. Jen Fajardo was a thorn in Classical’s side all over the court with 11 points, six assists, and six steals.   Ally Hinojosa also reached double figures in the scoring department with 10 points, which included a trio of three-pointers. Meaghan Gotham chipped in seven points, followed by Angela Curtis with five, Cassandra DiBella with four, and Logan DiCarlo with two.

Revere traveled to Salem Friday evening and turned the tables on the Witches, who had defeated Revere 51-41 in their meeting earlier in the season, to come home with a hard-fought 39-34 triumph.

The contest was a close one all the way, with the Lady Pats taking a two point advantage at the intermission and maintaining that slim margin with about a minute to go when Fajardo sank one of two free throws for a two point Revere lead. A Salem miss on the Witches’ ensuing possession was rebounded by Harris, who was fouled and calmly sank both of her charity stripe tosses to give Revere a four point advantage that, together with a  tenacious Lady Patriot defensive effort in the closing seconds, sealed the victory.

Free throw shooting proved crucial to the Lady Patriot victory, as the clutch Revere crew sank 11-of-12 for the game and 5-of-6 in the fourth quarter.

“This was another tough battle with another team looking to keep playoff hopes alive,” noted Leonard. “We had a two-point lead going into halftime, but the game was won on the defensive end. Salem has two post players who have the ability to score. With our guards helping in the post, we were able to hold each girl to only six points for the game. It was a team effort on defense and made the difference. In addition, our free throw shooting has come a long way and really gave us the edge.”

Harris forwarded another superb double-double performance with 14 points and 15 rebounds. Hinojosa drilled two more from three-point land to finish with 10 points and Fajardo turned in another excellent, all-around effort with nine points, eight boards, and four assists. Gotham and Curtis chipped in four points apiece and DiCarlo added two.

The Lady Patriots embarked on their quest for a chance to join in the Mass. high school version of March Madness last night (Tuesday), hosting Beverly for Senior Night festivities.  On Thursday they travel to Lynn English and on Saturday they trek to Beverly for a make-up game. Leonard and crew will wrap up their season Monday at Medford.

Track teams wrap up dual meet season

The Revere High boys and girls track teams completed their dual meet seasons with a meet against Marblehead last Wednesday that was highlighted by Senior Night festivities.

On the boys’ side, three Patriots earned first place finishes in their individual events. Tarik Maddrey, who won the NEC title in the high jump at the all league meet last week, took first in his specialty with a leap of 6′-0″. Lionel Forbes won the 50 yard hurdles in a time of 7.3 seconds and Daniel Murphy took first place honors in the 50 dash in 5.7.

Second  place finishers for the Patriots were Richard Damiano in the 1000 in 3:06.2 and John DelloRusso in the  mile run in 5:26.9.

Four Patriots earned single points for their third place efforts: Brett Deumejian with a shot-put toss of 40′-8″; Frank Davidson with a clocking of 1:37.0 in the 600; Jay Mistri with a time of 3:09.6 in the 1000; and Sebastian Mejia in the two mile run in 11:35.

For the girls, Comfort Toglan took first place in the 300 dash in 45.0. Captain Nikki Nelson finished in second spot in the mile in 5:28.2.

Earning points for their third place performances were: Brenda Rudecindo with a high jump of 4′-8″; Noelle MacDonald in the 50 hurdles in 9.1; Angie Buenaventura in the 50 dash in 6.8; and Janice DeStefano, who won the NEC title in the shot-put last week, with a throw of 29′-10.”

“Angie Buenaventura has had a knee injury that kept her out the entire season, but she has been a huge help in monitoring workouts and offering guidance and support to teammates,” said RHS head coach Antonio LaBruna. “She’s really been a tremendous leader, so for her to be able to compete and score in our last dual meet and on Senior Night, it was a special moment.”

This Friday is the Division 2 State Meet at the Reggie Lewis Center. For the Lady Patriots, Comfort Toglan will compete in the 300 meters and Janice DeStefano will compete in the shot-put.

For the boys, Tarik Maddrey will compete in the high jump.

RHS boys hoop drops two contests

The Revere High boys basketball team dropped both of its contests this past week, falling to two of the top teams in the area, Lynn Classical and Salem.

In last Tuesday’s contest at Classical, the Patriots played well through the first two periods, trailing by just three points at the intermission, 37-34. Classical was on fire from the three-point line, striking for seven baskets from beyond the arc that allowed the Rams to grab their slim lead, setting the stage for what would prove to be a fiercely-fought second half.

“We trailed 37-34 at halftime and allowed them to score 21 points from beyond the arc, so we knew we were in a position to take this game,” said RHS head coach Adam Rizzo. “The second half was intense as both teams were getting into it and making big plays on both sides of the ball. While Classical had a better collection of athletes, we were able to exploit mismatches on offense to get our points. Whether it was Tommy Chea or Jason Seigal taking their man off the dribble or Mike Ciambelli or Doug Zingali posting up a smaller man, there was always somewhere we could go to get a bucket.

“However, we struggled to get stops,” said Rizzo. “We would play great defense for 25 seconds and then give up a back-door cut for a layup and it would just deflate us. We weren’t happy with the outcome, but we played a very good basketball game against a dangerous team. ”

Seigal led Revere with 18 points, while Mike Dreeszen with 13 and Chea with 11 also reached double figures in the scoring department. Ciambelli hit for nine, Zingali had eight, and Ben DiGiulio chipped in three.

Salem came to town Friday evening and showed why they’re one of the top teams in the state. The Patriots kept matters close in the opening half, trailing by just two for a time in the second quarter. The Patriots received some strong play off  the bench form Chea, Steve Selevitch, Dante Lauria, and Mermin Ibrejic. “They have us some timely three-point shooting and good energy and defense to spark a first half comeback,” said Rizzo.

However, in the second half Salem took over and used their superior size and athleticism to make everything difficult for Revere on offense. “They also started hitting threes of their own that really opened things up and there wasn’t much we could do to stop them,” noted Rizzo. “They’re one of the top teams in the state and we hung in there as long as we could.”

The final outcome on the scoreboard showed Salem with a 73-49 win.

One highlight of the game for Revere came from freshman guard Gerald Jean Charles, in his third game as a member of the varsity team, who got his first chance to play Friday night and was able to score by hitting one of his two free throw attempts. “It was a good moment in a tough game, as the upperclassmen were excited for him,” said Rizzo.

The Pats, who now stand at 7-10, will close out their season this week. They traveled to Beverly last night (Tuesday) and will host Lynn English tomorrow night that will be highlighted by Senior Night festivities. The Pats will wrap up their season entertaining Beverly Saturday afternoon in a make-up contest at 3:00.

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