RHS Boys Basketball Still in Tourney Chase After Huge Comeback Win
The Revere High boys basketball team kept alive its hopes for a berth in the post-season state tournament with a pair of victories this past week over Greater Boston League (GBL) rival Malden and non-league foe the Edward M. Kennedy School of Health.
The Patriots, looking to carry their momentum from their win on Senior Night against Chelsea the previous Thursday, traveled to Malden last Tuesday — and pulled off what rates as one of the greatest comebacks in Revere High boys basketball history.
The Patriots had their work cut out for them against a Golden Tornado squad that had defeated the Patriots, 50-40, in their first meeting this season and which was celebrating its Senior Night.
The Golden Tornadoes came out like a whirlwind in the first quarter, jumping out to a quick 11-2 lead. Revere senior captain Alejandro Hincapie (16 points, six rebounds, three steals) made two baskets, as did senior captains Domenic Boudreau and Sal DeAngelis, but the Malden offense was too much and Revere trailed 21-9 after the first quarter.
The second quarter was better for Revere on the defensive end of the floor. The Patriots employed a full-court press that allowed for their offense to get going. Sophomore guard Ethan Day (four points) made two nice drives to the basket, Hincapie made a pair of free throws, and Boudreau made a deep three-pointer from the top and two tough shots over a bigger defender, as Revere cut into the Malden lead slightly, trailing 32-23 at halftime.
The third quarter proved to be a mirror image of the first. Malden scored the first seven points of the period to take a seemingly-commanding 39-23 lead just three minutes into the frame.
Things looked bleak for the Pats, who were facing a 16-point deficit with about 11 minutes to play, but RHS head coach David Leary called a timeout to rally his troops.
“We called a timeout and just really challenged the five senior captains,” said Leary. “We were playing not to lose, instead of playing to win, and I think that woke them up.â€
The Patriots proceeded to hold Malden to just three points the rest of the quarter and went on a huge run on the shoulders of Boudreau (21 points, 13 rebounds), who drained three straight three-pointers. Hincapie got a fast break layup off of a steal and then sophomore guard Josh Mercado (five points), who was coming off the bench, nailed a huge three-pointer from the wing before the end of the period, leaving the Patriots trailing by just five, 42-37, heading into the final quarter.
The fourth period was a wild roller coaster ride. Revere senior captain Vincent Nichols (10 points, eight rebounds, two steals, and two blocks) was a force, scoring all of his points in the final eight minutes. Vince slashed to the basket, making a layup and the free throw on the foul, and then Hincapie nailed a three-pointer to give Revere their first lead of the night, 43-42, with five minutes remaining.
Malden would answer with a basket to retake the lead, but Revere answered with a Mercado pull-up jumper. Junior forward Andrew Leone (two points, seven rebounds) sank two free throws to push the Patriots’ lead to 47-44 with 2:30 remaining.
Malden answered again, scoring a quick four points to forge ahead, 48-47, but following a timeout, Revere went on a quick 6-0 run with baskets from Boudreau and Nichols and two more Hincapie free throws to move out to 53-48 advantage with 1:36 to go.
Malden hit a big three on the Tornadoes’ next possession, but Nichols answered with a put-back bucket and Revere was up 55-51 with 56 seconds left. Malden scored on a drive and then fouled Hincapie to stop the clock.
However, Hincapie, the Pats’ senior point guard, who was 6-for-6 from the charity stripe on the night, calmly sank both free throws to push the Pats ahead, 57-53.
On Malden’s next possession, a Tornado was fouled going to the basket. He made the first free throw and missed the second attempt, but the ball went out of bounds off a Revere player, giving the ball back to the Tornadoes.
Following a Malden timeout, the Tornadoes’ last, they ran an inbounds play to get a layup to make it a one-point game, 57-56, with 32 seconds left.
Malden fouled Nichols, but the Patriots’ senior captain came through in the clutch, making both free throws. The Tornadoes tried to move the ball around in an effort to get a look at a game-tying three-pointer, but Nichols was able to block the shot.
Hincapie grabbed the loose ball and flew off down-court to score, sealing the victory and giving Revere a huge win on the road, 61-56.
“The kids showed a lot of grit and heart,” said Leary. “We got contributions from a bunch of guys. It was nice to pull out a close one and give ourselves a chance to extend our season. The boys went 9-for-9 at the free throw line in the fourth quarter and that was the game.”
Two nights later, Leary and his crew welcomed the Edward M. Kennedy Boston Public Health High School for a non-league matchup.
The opening was fast-paced, sharp, and back-and-forth, with Revere getting baskets from Nichols (11 points) and Boudreau. Sophomore guards Day and Mercado (four points, four assists) also got to the basket to give Revere a slight lead, 13-12, at the first buzzer.
By contrast, the second quarter was very sloppy for both sides, with scoring coming at a premium. Nichols made a basket and two free throws for the Patriots, Boudreau made a corner three-pointer, and junior forward Luke Ellis (five points) made a shot in the lane to give Revere the lead by one.
EMK came down with 25 seconds left in the half, but missed a shot with six seconds left. However, Revere senior captain DeAngelis got the rebound, pushed the ball up quickly, and swished a deep three-pointer as time expired for a 25-21 Revere halftime lead.
The third quarter was a good one for the Patriots. Day (14 points, seven rebounds) got to the hoop several times in the frame and grabbed a few offensive rebounds. Senior Captain Vinny Vu (five points, four assists) also scored two baskets, while Boudreau sank a corner three-pointer and a pull-up jumper. Nichols made a strong move to the hoop, giving Revere a 47-33 lead heading into the final quarter.
The Patriots seemed to be in control of the game — but then suddenly they were not.
EMK switched to a tough, full-court, man-to-man defense and started the quarter on an 8-0 run to cut the Patriots’ margin to just six points with four minutes remaining.
Revere needed to clamp down on defense and take care of the basketball better, which they did after a timeout called by Leary. Ellis hit a big three-pointer from the wing to give the Patriots a little more separation and Boudreau (14 points, 20 rebounds) seemed to grab every rebound down the stretch.
Revere held on to win, 56-49, bringing the Patriots’ record to 8-9 on the season.
With three games remaining, Leary and his crew need two wins in order to achieve the .500 record that is needed to punch their ticket for a Journey to the Tourney. They will travel to GBL foe Everett tonight (Wednesday) night and then to non-league opponent Peabody Friday night.
The Patriots will return home to host non-league rival Hamilton-Wenham in their season finale next Tuesday as part of a girls and boys doubleheader, with the boys’ contest tipping off at 4:15.
RHS Girls Basketball Set To Wrap Up Season
The Revere High girls basketball team will conclude its 2023 season when the Lady Patriots travel to Peabody tomorrow (Thursday) and return home to face Hamilton-Wenham Tuesday afternoon.
The season finale vs. Hamitlon-Wenham will be part of what should be a fun doubleheader with the boys. The girls’ contest tips off at 2:30 and the boys will get underway at 4:15.
The Lady Patriots came out on the short end of a 46-30 decision to Greater Boston League rival Malden in their only contest of this past week.
“They beat us 46-30 and clinched a spot in the state tournament,” said RHS head coach Chris Porrazzo. “I just want to say congrats to Malden head coach Scott Marino for the accomplishment. He does a great job for the city of Malden and for his team.
“As for the game, it was another slow start that we couldn’t overcome,” said Porrazzo. “One thing we really have to take away from this season is playing with urgency. We give inconsistent effort and too many times we let the last play impact the next one.
“We can’t let the game overwhelm us. We have to attack it with a greater purpose for 32 full minutes. This is something I hope we can focus on for our last two games against extremely difficult opponents,” Porrazzo added.
