Sports 12-09-2015

RHS girls basketball opens season Tuesday

The Revere High girls basketball team, the defending North Division champion of the Northeastern Conference, will open the defense of its title this Tuesday at Danvers.

Veteran head coach Diana Finn (formerly DeCristoforo) and her squad have a busy pre-season schedule in anticipation of their 2015-16 campaign. The Lady Patriots scrimmaged Tewksbury this past Saturday and were set to scrimmage at Hamilton-Wenham last night (Tuesday). They then will compete against Masconomet in the North Shore  Jamboree at Lynn Classical Saturday.

“We played alright against Tewksbury,” said Finn. “We’re still working through the details on offense and working to incorporate new talent into what we already have.  I was looking for better communication and toughness.

“Both Hamilton-Wenham and Masco will be good tests for us to gauge where we are so far,” added Finn. “Masco in particular will challenge our post players’ toughness and our guards’ decision-making skills.”

Most of the Lady Patriot student-athletes took advantage of summer/fall leagues, open gyms, and AAU during the off-season.  “We are better for it,” noted Finn, whose squad compiled a superb 16-4 record last year. “With many girls coming into the season already in shape and having played basketball during their time out of season, we are in a better position to compete this year.”

Leading the Lady Patriots this season will be a trio of senior captains, Adanna Hector, Ally Hinojosa, and Natasha Iacoviello. “We’ll be looking for their leadership on and off the court,” said Finn. Although the Lady Patriots lost their last year’s leading scorer and rebounder, Tiphani Harris, to graduation, returning Northeastern Conference all-stars are Hector at point guard, senior Maritza Scott at shooting guard, and sophomore Pamela Gonzalez, who also is a shooting guard.

Other members of the team are: freshman Emily DiGiulio, junior Meaghan Gotham, sophomore Tatianna Iacoviello, junior Elizabeth Lake, freshman Kiana Napolitano, sophomore Valentina Pepic, freshman Jenna Wells, and junior Samantha

“The girls have been working hard to get into basketball shape, to learn new sets and plays, and to get to know the new players so our team chemistry is on point,” said Finn. “We will be prepared to play hard, play smart, and play together when we open against Danvers.  Our schedule is challenging this year and we’re hoping to improve each game while preparing to play the toughest competition in the post-season.”

Finn will be assisted this season by assistant varsity coach Karen Atkinson and junior varsity coach Kristin Ciappina.

After their season debut Tuesday at Danvers, Finn and her crew will trek to Beverly next Friday. Those two teams, along with Marblehead (which plays in the NEC South), figure to be among Revere’s top competition in the NEC this season.

RHS hockey team readying for season

The Revere High hockey team will open its season next Wednesday (December 16) at Lynn. Face-off time for the contest, which will be played at Connery Arena, is 8:00.

Coach Joe Ciccarello’s squad played well in a scrimmage against Winthrop this past weekend in a pre-season Jamboree. The Patriots led 1-0 for most of the encounter thanks to a goal by Chris Anderson. Although Winthrop scored two late goals, Ciccarello was pleased with his team’s effort.  “We played well,” said the coach.

Revere will be led in the 2015-16 campaign by senior captains Maxx Anderson and Steve Noel and assistant captains Joe Ristino and Kevin Chiles, all of whom were voted into their leadership roles by their teammates.

“Our seniors are our leaders,” said Ciccarello. “They have been great so far leading this team in the early going. Maxx is a returning all-star in goal and Kevin will be our workhorse on defense. Joe and Steve must find ways to lead the other forwards to score more goals.”

A key to success for the Patriots in the coming season will be whether they can improve upon their offensive output from last year. “We need to find offense,” noted Ciccarello. “We scored an anemic 27 goals all last year and we need to improve upon that number.”

Ciccarello added that other key returnees from last year, juniors Anthony Cecca, Chris Anderson, and Jim Pandolfo, “will have to continue their growth as new upperclassmen.”

After the opener with Lynn, Ciccarello and his crew travel to Gloucester Saturday evening and will host Northeast Regional in their home opener next Wednesday at 6:30 at Cronin Rink.

Boys hoop team opens season Tuesday

The Revere High boys basketball team swings into the 2015-16 season next week when the Patriots host the two top teams in the Northeastern Conference from last year. Revere will entertain Danvers Tuesday and Beverly next Friday (December 18). Tip-off for both encounters is set for 7:00.

RHS boys hoop opens season Tuesday

The Revere High boys basketball team swings into the 2015-16 season next week when the Patriots host the two top teams in the Northeastern Conference from last year. Revere will entertain Danvers Tuesday and Beverly next Friday (December 18). Tip-off for both encounters is set for 7:00.

The Patriots played in the Burlington Coaches vs. Cancer Jamboree this past Saturday. “We got to play against two teams for one half each,” said RHS head coach Adam Rizzo. “We ended up splitting our scrimmages, but it was just great to get out and play against teams other than our own. We got a chance to see what we need to work on and what looks good already. Our play was a bit sloppy, but that’s to be expected after just two days of practice.”

Members of the Rizzo’s squad this year are: junior Gerald Jean-Charles, senior William Bell, senior Janard Jones, senior Marvin Urdaneta,  junior Mass Joof, junior Brendan Hayes, senior Jovan Salcedo, freshman Marcus Brunson, senior Jordi Palma, senior Joshua Flander, junior John DiGregorio, junior Christian Palacios, and senior Raphael Amaro.

“We were a very young team last year and return eight players with varsity experience from last season,“ said Rizzo,. Those eight are Jean-Charles, Jones, Urdaneta, Joof, Hayes, Salcedo, Palma and Palacios.

“We are going to lean heavily on Gerald Jean-Charles to be a playmaker and scorer at the guard position,” said the coach. “Marvin Urdaneta is much improved and should be our anchor down low in terms of defense and inside scoring. Janard Jones is our most reliable scorer from the perimeter. William Bell, a transfer from New York, brings much-needed defense and athleticism to the roster. Freshman Marcus Brunson is going to be expected to play and produce off the bench for us early on in the season and could push for a starting position at some point.

“It’s tough to get everything in we need with limited practice time, but the team looks to have all the pieces in place to be much improved from last year,” added Rizzo. “We have the size, the athletes, and the ability to win many more games than we did last year and we have our eyes set on making the state tournament. Anything less would be a disappointment, regardless of how our season went last year.”

The Patriots’ scrimmage Thursday night against Hamilton-Wenham should be a good test for Revere going into its opener next Tuesday.

“The Generals are always a good, solid, fundamental team that will test our team defense, because they typically execute their offense with precision,” said Rizzo. “With new coach Michael DiMarino (the coach at Winthrop last year) in there now, I know none of those principals will change. He knows my team almost as well as I do, so I’m sure he will make everything difficult for us Thursday night, which is what we want.

“Opening up with Danvers should be a good test for us,” continued Rizzo. “. We are going to prepare for them as best as possible and look to score a win on opening night on our home floor.”

Wynn teams with Bruins to

donate Youth Hockey helmetsWynn Everett announced that it has partnered with the Boston Bruins to purchase 140 Bauer hockey helmets that will be donated to several local high school hockey teams.

The helmets will be distributed to hockey players from Cambridge Rindge and Latin School, East Boston High School (where Charlestown students play), Everett High School, Malden Catholic High School, Medford High School and Revere High School for use this season.

The teams picked up their helmets at TD Garden on Monday, Nov. 23, before participating in a one-hour clinic hosted by select Boston Bruins alumni and the Bruins Youth Hockey Development team.

“While few would argue that youth sports, particularly youth hockey, is an essential part of growing up in the region, outfitting teams to keep our kids safe isn’t cheap,” said Robert DeSalvio, president of Wynn Everett. “We’re happy to join the Boston Bruins in protecting our local student athletes and helping to make scholastic sports available to all. The lessons and values these kids learn in sports will help them throughout their lives.”

According to an NBC study, youth hockey costs an average of $8,600 per year on equipment, travel and training expenses. In addition, more than a quarter of all helmets worn by hockey players are unsafe, according to an independent study by Virginia Tech researchers.