It’s March Madness Time! Revere Boys and Girls Basketball Teams Ready for State Tourney

Boys Defeat Lynn English to Qualify for Tourney Spot

The Revere High boys basketball team had been on a roll entering the final quarter of the season. The Patriots had won four straight contests to improve to 9-6 overall and move into third place in the Greater Boston League.

With five games left on their schedule, the Pats needed just one more win in order to punch their ticket for a trip to the post-season. The odds appeared to be heavily in Revere’s favor, with contests against two opponents (Hamilton-Wenham and Lynn Classical) whom the Patriots had defeated in their first meetings and a third, a .500 East Boston squad, that had been defeated handily by Chelsea, a GBL foe with whom the Pats had split their two games.

However, Revere’s rollercoaster ride of a season continued, as the Pats dropped their next four games to fall to 9-10, with their final contest looming against the Lynn English Bulldogs, the second-best team in the GBL (11-2 in the league and 13-6 overall) whose only league losses had been to undefeated Everett.

Moreover, the Bulldogs had taken a bite out of the Patriots in their initial encounter, a 65-44 victory for English.

So when the teams lined up for the opening tip last Thursday at the Merullo Fieldhouse, the Patriots’ state tourney hopes did not look bright.

However, it was evident from the outset that the Patriots were poised to jump on the Bulldogs and give it their all.

Junior guard Domenic Boudreau scored a basket on the first possession. Lynn English would answer with a three-pointer from their star guard, Tyrese Melo-Garcia, to move ahead, 3-2, but that would prove to be the only time that the Bulldogs would lead for the rest of the game.

Revere responded with buckets from senior forward Ramadan Barry (seven points, five rebounds, four steals) and sophomore center Deivis Cruceta; a three-pointer from senior tri-captain Jack D’Ambrosio (12 points, seven rebounds, two blocks); and a hoop from fellow senior tri-captain James Clauto (24 points, five rebounds, four assists, two steals).

In addition, Boudreau was on fire, hitting for 11 points in the quarter, to give Revere a 22-12 lead at the first buzzer.

The Revere defense was the story in the second period. The Patriots continued to pressure Melo-Garcia and force the other English players to beat them. Barry had a nice steal and layup; Clauto made two nice drives, plus four free throws and a three-pointer; and Boudreau, with a three-pointer and a floater in the lane, helped push the Revere advantage to 39-24 at the half.

RHS head coach David Leary attributed his team’s early spark to having their backs against the wall.

“We talked about competing on every possession on both ends of the floor. It was win or go home and the kids responded,” said Leary.

The halftime adjustments were made and both teams came out of the locker room with a sharp focus. Revere senior center Hamza Ghoul (four points, eight rebounds) sank two free throws, captains Clauto and D’Ambrosio made two hoops each, and Boudreau made a smooth, mid-range pull-up jump shot to give the Patriots their largest lead of the game, 48-26, midway through the third quarter.

The Bulldogs came out of a timeout and began to make their presence felt on both ends with pressure defense and getting to the basket. English finished the period with a 10-3 run to keep matters close enough, 51-36, to have a chance in the final quarter.

The fourth quarter was all Lynn English to start, as all-star Bulldog guard Melo-Garcia started scoring at will and from every angle. Melo-Garcia would end with 37 points on the evening, of which 16 points came in the final quarter, including the first 11 points.

Revere finally got going with baskets from D’Ambrosio, Ghoul, and Clauto to keep Revere ahead, 62-54, with 3:20 remaining.

But the Bulldogs were not ready to go away and answered with a 4-0 run of their own to cut it to 62-58 with 2:04 left.

Leary called a timeout to weather the storm and the brief respite seemed to play a crucial role in the outcome of the game.

“We (the coaches) really challenged them in the timeout,” said Leary. “They had played so well to that point, it would have been a shame to let it slip away and end our season.”

Boudreau (24 points, six rebounds) answered the challenge with back-to-back baskets, including a sweet switch from the right to left hand on a layup to put the Patriots up by eight. After a Lynn English free throw, Barry sank a huge three-pointer from the corner — the sort of long-range dagger for which Larry Bird was famous — to move Revere ahead, 69-59, with 56 seconds to go.

Clauto and D’Ambrosio closed the game out at the free throw line and Revere held on to win, 74-63, to punch their ticket for a Journey to the Tourney with a 10-10 record.

“We are so proud of this group,” Leary said in the aftermath of the big win. “We were not sure how today was going to go after our struggles the past two weeks and it would have been easy to just fold, but this group fought all year. They had goals and this was one of them. They just didn’t want it to end today and wanted to practice on Sunday. We will just keep grinding — that’s how we’ve approached the whole season.”

Revere is seeded 45th in the Division 2 state tourney and was scheduled to make the long trek to Springfield High School of Science & Technology, which is the 20th seed, last night (Tuesday) night in a preliminary round contest.

Although the early scouting report on Springfield was not extensive, Leary and his staff were cautiously optimistic.

“We know they play in a really tough league and we have a two-hour bus ride ahead, but the way these kids have come together and picked each other up all year, I know Sci-Tech will get our best shot,” said Leary. “Hopefully, that’s good enough to survive and advance. The goal every year is to play in March and that is what this group wanted.”

If the Patriots succeed, they will advance to the round of 32 where they will travel to 13th ranked Scituate. That contest is scheduled for this Friday at 6:30 at Scituate High School.

Revere Girls Ready for State Tourney

The Revere High girls basketball team was scheduled to open play in the Division 2 State Tournament last night (Tuesday) at Tewksbury.

The Lady Patriots, who finished at 12-8 overall on the season and claimed third place in the Greater Boston League with an 11-3 mark, are seeded 42nd in D-2. Tewksbury is seeded 23rd.

“We are looking forward to playing Tewksbury in the state tournament,” said RHS head coach Chris Porrazzo. “It is going to be a fun and intense atmosphere. Our team is looking forward to the challenge.”

Although Revere concluded its regular-season schedule two weeks ago, Porrazzo kept his charges sharp during the vacation week with multiple practices and scrimmages with Georgetown and Lynn Classical.

“I am so proud of our team for the work they put in over February break,” said Porrazzo. “They spent their well-earned break from school in the gym working on their game. Their effort all season has been top notch. No matter the result against Tewksbury, these players have a lot to be proud of.”

If the Lady Patriots were successful last night, they would advance to the Round of 32 to play at Canton High School, the 10th seed in D-2, Friday evening at 6:30.

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