Patriots roll past Chelsea
The Revere High boys basketball team made the short trek down Broadway to take on Greater Boston League (GBL) archrival Chelsea Friday and returned home with a convincing 74-51 victory over the Red Devils, who entered the contest with a 2-1 record.
The twice-yearly “Battle of Broadway” once again lived up to its billing, with the teams fighting fiercely and urged on by a packed house of partisan fans.
The Patriots entered the fray hoping for a little payback from last season after going 0-2 in the rivalry, but the Red Devils would prove to be intent on making it three in a row.
Revere senior tri-captain Avi Lung (25 points, five assists, three steals) came out red-hot from deep, sinking a trio of three-pointers in the opening quarter. Fellow senior forward Erick Mayorga had two strong drives to the basket and senior tri-captains Josh Mercado and Ethan Day chipped in a few baskets in a fever-pitch first quarter that had Revere leading 20-19 at the first buzzer.
The second period was all about the Patriots’ defense. The Revere zone defense swarmed the Red Devils, holding them to just five points in the eight-minute period to enable Revere to move out to a 10-point advantage, 34-24, at the half.. On offense, the RHS captaincy trio of Lung, Day, and Mercado continued to move the ball and find each other for multiple baskets.
However, Chelsea made a few adjustments at halftime and it was evident right away after the intermission. The Red Devils opened the third period on a 10-2 run to quickly cut the Revere lead to just two, 36-24. After RHS head coach David Leary called a propitious timeout to regroup his squad, the Patriots responded. Mercado (16 points, five rebounds, three steals) made a nice pull-up jump shot and a corner three-pointer; Lung drained another trey from the wing; and Day (25 points, five rebounds, four steals) made a few tough shots in the lane and sank a few free throws to push back against the Chelsea run, giving the Patriots a 52-45 cushion heading into the final eight minutes.
Then, similar to the second quarter, the Revere defense got things straightened out. On offense, talented freshmen Charles Dobre had a strong finish plus the free throw, while the four Revere seniors, Day, Mercado, Lung, and Mayorga all scored in the period to close out the impressive 74-51 victory.
“Year-in and year-out, throw the records out when these two teams get together,” said an emotionally-drained Leary afterwards. “We have great crowds home and away for the rivalry and this was no different. I’m proud of the way we kept our focus each time Chelsea went on their runs. The seniors were all fantastic and led by example. We need to build off this win, which definitely was our most balanced game of the season so far.”
This past Sunday morning Leary and his crew traveled northward up to Salem State University to take on the Rams of Lynn Classical in a “non-league” match-up (the game will not count in the GBL standings) as part of a five-game day of basketball among 10 high school teams hosted by SSC in its Twohig Gymnasium.
The undersized Patriots battled hard right from the opening tip and the first quarter went back-and-forth. Mayorga had a strong drive to the basket and Lung (11 points, three steals), Mercado (eight points), and Day (12 points, six rebounds) all made a few baskets in the quarter, including a Mercado three-pointer, but Classical held a slight (14-13) edge.
The second period was more of the same, as both teams continued to exchange baskets, Lung and Mercado each nailed a three-pointer, Day made a few free throws and a tough floater over the Rams’ big men inside, and junior forward Zaney Kayembe (13 points, eight boards) made a put-back and Revere led, 27-24, at the intermission.
The Rams opened the second half poised to take advantage of their size inside. Revere fought hard on the boards, but Classical got multiple shots at the basket thanks to offensive rebounds and it began to wear down the Patriots.
Revere however, would respond with a Kayembe corner three-pointer and a three-point play (on a great pass from Day), and a corner three from junior forward Devin Berry (three points, four rebounds), but Classical held the advantage, 44-42, heading into the fourth quarter.
The scoring on both sides hit a dry spell for the first few minutes of the final frame, but with Revere trailing 55-49 with three minutes remaining, Classical’s pressure defense and offensive rebounds were just too much for the Patriots, allowing the Rams to control the final few minutes for a 64-51 win.
“I was proud of the team’s effort. but we know there is room for improvement,” said Leary. “We battled hard and the kids really bought into the game plan, especially early on.
“This was a great experience for our guys playing on a college campus, but unfortunately we just didn’t make enough plays or baskets down the stretch to give ourselves a chance to win,” Leary added. “We have to keep grinding and working to improve and this group will. I can see it.”
Revere, which now stands at 2-5 on the season, will travel to non-league opponent Chelmsford tomorrow (Thursday) and then to GBL rival Somerville on Friday. They will return home to entertain Classical next Thursday (January 16) at 7:00 at Merullo Fieldhouse.
RHS girls hoop tops three GBL foes; hosts Whittier Thursday
The Revere High girls basketball team earned a trio of hard-fought victories over Greater Boston League (GBL) rivals recently.
In a 62-59 win over Lynn English before the holiday break, freshman guard Allyson Ollivierra struck for 23 points, highlighted by going 3-for-3 from the three-point line. Teammates Shayna Smith, who hit for 17 points, and Belma Velic, who pumped in 16 points, also had big games for the Lady Patriots.
“Struggling with our free throws has put us into unnecessarily close games,” said RHS head coach Ariana Rivera, whose squad was just 6-for-18 from the charity stripe. “It was a poor defensive performance for both teams with such a high-scoring game.”
Revere earned a 38-35 win over the Malden Golden Tornadoes during the vacation week. “This was another competitive GBL matchup for us,” noted Rivera, who had eight of her players chipping in offensively, led by Ollivierra with 12 points. “We had to adjust offensively a lot to Malden. We struggled to run our offense with high defensive pressure and it was not a strong rebounding game for us. Having a consistent five players who box out and rebound is essential for us.”
Revere dropped a heartbreaking 37-35 decision in overtime to GBL foe Medford before the break. Ollivierra once again led the scoring for Revere with 14 points, including 2-for-2 from three-point land. Smith reached double figures with 11 points.
“This was a tough OT loss,” noted Rivera. “The game was really down to the wire. Foul trouble and lack of basketball IQ in high intensity situations resulted in our loss.”
In a contest at non-league opponent Whittier just before the vacation, Revere held a 10-point lead at the half, 28-18, but was outscored 31-9 in the final 16 minutes for a 49-37 loss.
“We struggled with their high-pressure defense and full-court press and we were only 7-of-19 from the free throw line,” said Rivera. Ollivierra topped Revere in the scoring column with 11 points and was perfect again from beyond the arc, going 3-for-3.
“We need to work on our free-throw shooting, our second half energy, and rebounding,” Rivera noted.
However, the Lady Patriots bounced back after the break and defeated GBL foe Lynn Classical last Thursday, 44-33, to improve to 4-1 in the GBL and 4-2 overall. Rivera and her crew were scheduled to trek to Lynn English yesterday (Tuesday) and will host Whittier in a rematch tomorrow (Thursday) at Merullo Fieldhouse at 6:00. They will entertain non-league opponent Winthrop on Monday at 6:00 and will travel to Malden next Tuesday.
Maia wins medal at MSTCA Fr.-So.
Revere High sophomore Bryan Maia brought home a fourth-place medal in the shot-put at Saturday’s MSTCA Large School Freshman-Sophomore Meet that was held at the Reggie Lewis Athletic Center in Roxbury.
Bryan’s toss of 40-‘1″ was the fourth-longest among the field of more than 40 competitors. Sophomore teammate Silvio Neto turned in a fine performance with a 19th place effort in the shot with a throw of 33’-1.50″.
Two Patriots competed in the 55 meter dash, sophomore Joey Angiulo with a time of 7.183 and freshman Amari Miller-Tobey with a sprint of 7.87.
The boys also competed in the 4 x 200 relay, with the foursome of Joey Angiulo, Amari Miller-Tobey, Arthur Nazareth, and Anthony Pelatere finishing in 20th place in a clocking of 1:44.60.
On the girls’ side, Revere was represented by sophomore Genevieve Zierten, who competed in the mile with a time of 6:20.04, and sophomore Caleigh Joyce, who competed in the shot-put with a toss of 22′-9″.
Stamatopoulos does well at Holiday Challenge
Revere High star track performer Gemma Stamatopouls turned in a strong performance at the Boston Holiday Challenge track and field meet that was held at the TRACK at the New Balance facility in Brighton during the vacation break.
Gemma finished in 11th place in the high jump with a leap of 4′-10″ and took 15th spot in the 600 meter dash in a time of 1:49.01.
“Gemma’s time in the 600 was a personal record (PR),” said RHS head coach Racquel MacDonald-Ciambelli. “She also tied her PR in the high jump with that 4’10” jump. She looked great in the 600m, but it was a packed race and she got boxed in on the second lap. I’m confident she would’ve been closer to 1:44 if that hadn’t happened.”
Teammate Oiivia Rupp also came through with a fine effort in the mile, coming across the line in a clocking of 5:58, which was good for 27th place among the large field which featured competitors from across the U.S.
“Olivia had a great race in the mile, staying consistently below that six-minute mark this whole season,” said MacDonald-Ciambelli. “She has a lot of time before her next race so we will make sure to get in some hard workouts to get closer to 5:40.”
Lady Patriot teammate Ashley Cabrera Rodriguez also competed in the 55 meter dash, coming across in a time of 8.25.
On the boys’ side, the top Patriot was Oliver Escobar, who finished in 12th place in the high jump with a leap of 5′-8″.
Four Revere girls also competed in the MSTCA Distance Classic during the holiday break:
Gigi Zierten — 1 mile (6.16.24), a season PR and 33rd overall;
Valeria Sepulveda — 1000m (3:46.22), lifetime PR and 42nd overall;
Caleigh Joyce — Shotput (23′-11.75″), lifetime PR and 55th overall; and
Aidah Louaddi — Shotput (22′-8.00″), 67th overall.
Both the boys and girls teams, who both are 2-0 on the season, will return to their regular-season dual-meet schedule vs. their Greater Boston League opponents tomorrow (Thursday) at the Reggie Lewis Center when they will engage in a tri-meet with Malden and Lynn Classical.
