Boys, Girls Hoop Host Holiday Tourney
The Revere High girls and boys basketball teams will host a Holiday Tournament starting today (Wednesday) and concluding tomorrow (Thursday).
On the girls’ side, the opening round games will pit Milton vs. Charlestown at 12:30 p.m. and then Revere vs. Green Academy at 2:00 p.m.. The winners will meet for the title game tomorrow at 2:00 with the consolation contest at 12:30.
For the boys, East Boston and Medford tangle today at 3:30 and Revere will take on Lynnfield at 5:00. The championship game will be played tomorrow at 5:00 with the consolation match set for 3:30.
RHS Boys Basketball Corrals Mustangs, 50-43
The Revere High School boys basketball season earned its first victory of the season with a 50-43 triumph over Greater Boston League (GBL) rival Medford last Tuesday at the Merullo Fieldhouse.
The Patriots got off to a fast start. Junior point guard Avi Lung (five points, four assists) scored off the opening tip. Senior forward Ryan El Babor (six points) made two nice drives to the hoop and senior co-captain Andrew Leone (who turned in a nice double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds) sank two free throws to give Revere a 10-6 lead to end the opening period.
The second quarter went even better for the home Patriots. Junior guard Josh Mercado knocked down a corner three-pointer off a nice drive and kick pass from junior guard Ethan Day. Senior center Amir Yamani made a nice drive from the top of the key and Leone drained a trey from the wing to extend the lead.
The last few minutes of the quarter turned into the Ethan Day Show, with the junior forward scoring the Patriots’ last four baskets on a few tough drives and a baseline floater. Ethan’s offensive outburst propelled Revere into a 28-19 advantage as the teams went into the locker room at halftime.
The Revere defense came out swarming after the intermission, led by Mercado (five steals) who was asked to cover a much bigger player in GBL all-star Justin Marino of Medford. Marino, who averages 22 points per game, was held to just 11 points.
Day (18 points, six assists) continued with his hot hand and Leone, Lung, and El Babor all sank baskets in the run to extend Revere’s margin to 40-27 heading into the final quarter.
The Mustangs however, would not go away easily. Medford picked up its intensity on defense and cut the Patriots’ lead down t five points, 42-37, with just over three minutes remaining in the contest.
Revere got a huge lift off the bench from junior forward Erick Mayorga (four points), who made a tough shot in the lane and a jump shot from the elbow to give the Patriots a little breathing room. Day then drove for two layups (off great passes from Leone and Mercado) and Leone then pulled down an offensive rebound and put it back in to close things out, 50-43.
RHS head coach David Leary was pleased with his team’s effort, but stressed that there is a lot to improve on. “This was a nice team win and we got contributions from a lot of guys,” said Leary. “I thought the key to the game was Mercado’s toughness on defense trying to contain Marino. Ethan and Andrew really carried us on offense and with (senior co-captain) Luke Ellis in foul trouble all game, Ryan, Amir, and Erick gave us a nice lift off the bench. We have a lot we can improve on, but this was a nice start.”
Two nights later Leary and his crew hosted GBL archrival Chelsea in yet another epic battle between the two fierce foes before a packed Merullo Fieldhouse featuring boisterous fans on both sides — and as always, the two teams gave the large crowd quite a show.
Revere senior co-captain Luke Ellis (five points, six rebounds) got the Patriots’ offense going with a three-pointer from the top. Senior co-captain Andrew Leone (five points, seven rebounds) had a strong drive to the basket and despite the aggressive and physical Red Devils’ defense on junior guard Ethan Day (18 points, eight rebounds), Day got to the basket twice to give the Patriots a slight 9-7 edge at the first buzzer.
The second quarter was back-and-forth. Revere junior guard Josh Mercado (nine points, three steals) hit two jump shots. Day got to the basket and made two tough floaters in the lane and sophomore forward Sean Burnett (nine points, four rebounds) sank a fast-break layup and a pull-up jumper.
But the Chelsea pressure defense was the story in the first half. The Red Devils caused Revere to commit 15 turnovers and the visitors took a 23-21 lead into the half.
“I knew we were going to have a tough time against a very aggressive Chelsea defense and they really controlled the second quarter,” said Leary. “We needed to get the ball inside, but we could never get it there.”
The third quarter started off with the same trend, as Chelsea forced four straight turnovers, scoring on all of them, to build a 31-21 lead just two minutes into the frame. Leary called a timeout and tried to settle down his young squad, but the Red Devils scored again to go up by 12.
However, the Patriots found their rhythm. Day reversed the game’s momentum when he got to the basket, scored, was fouled, and made the free throw. Burnett then made a very athletic catch-and-finish on the fast break and hit a jump shot at the top of the key. After Day made two more tough shots in the lane, Revere had cut the Chelsea lead to 40-35 to end the third.
Revere junior forward Erick Mayorga (five points, four rebounds) made two nice baskets in the paint to start the fourth quarter. Day once again drove to the basket and Leone sank a three-pointer from the wing to give Revere its first lead since the opening period. The Revere defense was really tough during that stretch as, after a Mercado hit corner jump shot, the Patriots turned a five-point deficit into a five-point lead.
However, Chelsea junior guard Edwin DeJesus got hot, making a nice layup and two three-pointers to put the Red Devils ahead, 48-45 with 1:48 remaining in the game.
The next sequence was very intense. After a missed shot, Leone fought for an offensive rebound, dove on the loose ball, and tipped it to Mayorga up top. The junior forward then swung the ball to the corner to Josh Mercado, who calmly drained the game-tying trey with 1:08 to go.
The Revere defense caused a turnover and the Patriots brought the ball up the court to take the lead. Revere moved the ball around and with the shot clock winding down, it got into the hands of Luke Ellis. The senior forward banked in a Jack Sikma-like fadeaway to put the Patriots up 50-48 with 33 seconds remaining.
Chelsea pushed the ball up and a Revere player blocked a shot out of bounds under the Red Devils’ hoop with 14 seconds to go. Revere called their last timeout to set up their defense. Chelsea got the ball inbounds and swung it up to their senior point guard, Brauli Quezada, who swished a deep three-pointer to put Chelsea ahead, 51-50.
Revere pushed the ball up, but Day’s desperation shot at the buzzer came up short.
“Well, that was an excellent atmosphere for a high school game, but it always is when we play each other,” said Leary after the tough loss. “We did not take care of the basketball — 24 turnovers will not lead us to many wins. We just have to be better. We will work on it, but I was proud that the kids did not quit and fought back. We almost stole that one.”
Revere, now 1-3 after having dropped its season-opening games two weeks ago at GBL foes Lynn Classical and Lynn English, will host a Holiday Tournament starting tonight (Wednesday) with a contest against non-league opponent Lynnfield at 5 p.m. Depending on the outcome, the Patriots will play in either the championship or consolation game tomorrow (Thursday) against either East Boston or Medford.
The Patriots will travel to GBL foe Malden next Wednesday.
Kenan Batic Wins 600 in Season-Opening Meet
Kenan Batic won the 600 meter dash with a clocking of 1:38.62 for the Revere High boys indoor track and field team in their season-opening dual meet with Greater Boston League (GBL) rival Somerville two weeks ago at the Reggie Lewis Center in Boston.
Kenan’s time was the second-fastest of the day, just 0.70 off the fastest time, among the GBL teams, all of whom competed at the Reggie where all of the GBL’s dual meets will be held this season. Two other changes this year for the GBL’s indoor season include the relay, which this year will be a 4 x 200 instead of the 4 x100, and the addition of the long jump event.
The RHS 4 x 200 relay quartet of Oliver Escobar, Randi Rodriguez, Danny Hou, and Jeremy X came up short in their race, falling short by 2.03 seconds to the Highlanders, but their clocking rated second-fastest among the eight GBL teams (the other six GBL schools competed in a pair of tri-meets).
A number of Patriots scored three points for the RHS side of the scoresheet vs. Somerville: Allen Hou in the 55 meter dash (6.93); Youness Chahid in the 1000 in 2:48.68 (a time that was just 0.70 behind the top Somerville runner); Danny Hou in the long jump (18′-6.75″); and Allen Hou in the shot-put (39′-9″). The duo of Lucas Jimenez and Allen Hou tied for second place in the high jump with a Somerville opponent with leaps of 5′-0″.
Contributing single points with third-place efforts were Oliver Escobar in the 55 dash; Fajr Riazi in the 55 hurdles; Danny Hou in the 300 dash; Kepier Celany in the long jump; and Nicholas Aguirre in the shot-put.
The Patriots will be seeking their first win of the season when they compete in a tri-meet at the Reggie after the New Year.
