RHS Sports Roundup

RHS Boys Beat Everett To Keep Tourney Hope Alive

The resurgent Revere High boys basketball team kept its hopes alive for securing a berth in the post-season state tourney with a scintillating 56-49 victory at Greater Boston League (GBL) rival Everett last Tuesday night.

The Patriots’ victory over the Crimson, a perennial power in the GBL, marked the first victory on the hardcourt for the Revere boys over Everett in more than 20 years. The Patriots’ win also ruined their host’s Senior Night festivities honoring the Crimson Tide’s seven seniors before a packed house in the EHS gym.

The first quarter saw the teams engage in the basketball version of Fast and Furious. Revere senior captains Domenic Boudreau and Vincent Nichols (8 points, 6 rebounds)  both knocked down three-pointers in the first two minutes.

Senior captain Alejandro Hincapie (15 points, 3 steals) got to the basket and scored, plus the foul, and then made another layup off a steal to give the Patriots a 13-12 edge at the first buzzer.

Everett extended its defensive pressure to start the second period and it helped the Tide build a lead early in the frame. However, Revere sophomore guard Ethan Day (4 points, 2 assists) got fouled on a hard drive to the basket and sank both free throws to stem the Tide.

Hincapie (who was 9-of-10 at the free throw line in the game) knocked down two more from the stripe and then Boudreau did his Jayson Tatum imitation by draining back-to-back treys, including one from the corner on which he was fouled and then made the free throw to complete a four-point play.

Despite being undersized, Revere competed hard on the defensive boards, with junior forwards Andrew Leone and Luke Ellis coming in off the bench to help secure a 28-26 lead at halftime for the Patriots.

The third quarter was a different story to start off for Revere, as Everett went on a 12-2 run in the first five minutes of the period to move out to an eight point lead, 38-30. However, the Patriots’ senior captains were not going to allow this one to slip away.

Boudreau made a bucket plus the foul, Nichols drained a deep three from the wing, and Hincapie threw in a nice floater to pull Revere ahead, 39-38, heading into the final eight minutes.

The fourth quarter went back-and-forth with both teams scoring on their first few possessions, accounting for five lead changes. The Patriots were doing a nice job getting to the basket, getting fouled, and making their free throws. Leone then made one of two free throws and had an excellent bounce pass on the press break for a Nichols layup to extend Revere’s lead to 50-47 with less than two minutes remaining.

The Patriots did a great job defensively of forcing Everett into tough shots and then securing the rebounds, especially by Boudreau, down the stretch. In addition, this kept the ball in Dom’s hands, forcing Everett to foul him to stop the clock.

However, the Patriots’ senior captain, who finished with 28 points, 8 rebounds, 6 blocks, and a perfect 10-for-10 from the free throw line, calmly sank four free throws in a row. Fellow captain Hincapie then sank two more free throws to close out the game for Revere’s 56-49 win.

“We are so proud of these guys,”  said Revere head coach David Leary. “We have been talking about mental toughness and shooting free throws in big spots all year, especially on the road.

“We didn’t panic when we fell behind in the third quarter,” Leary added, “and shooting 21-of-23 free throws on the road is what won us the game. This was a big win for these kids and our program. It’s been quite a while since we beat those guys.”

Last Friday night Revere traveled up to Peabody to take on the Tanners, who are 14-5 on the season and are one of the top teams in the Northeastern Conference.

The first quarter was very competitive as both teams showed their shooting acumen. Revere senior captains Sal DeAngelis (11 points) and Vinny Vu (11 points) both drained three pointers, while Nichols had a nice move to the basket to leave Revere down, 15-13, with just seconds remaining in the quarter.

The Patriots grabbed a defensive rebound and pushed the ball up court to sophomore guard Day (13 points) and Ethan’s three-pointer at the buzzer bounced in to give Revere a 16-15 advantage after the first eight minutes.

The second quarter started off similarly, with the teams exchanging baskets early as Day and DeAngelis both got to the hoop, sophomore guard Josh Mercado drained a wing trey, and Leone had a nice layup plus the foul to give the Patriots a 29-27 lead.

However, the Tanners closed out the half strongly, sinking a trio of three-pointers and a free throw to close the half on a 10-0 run and take a 37-29 into halftime.

Revere tried to make a few changes on defense after the intermission to try to slow down the Peabody attack. Boudreau (7 points, 14 rebounds, 5 assists) got to the basket for a layup, Vu drained another corner three-pointer, and Day and DeAngelis each made a floater in the lane. but the Tanners’ offense again had a big quarter to move out to a 58-40 to end the third.

Revere fought hard and tried to come back, with senior captains Vu, Boudreau, and DeAngelis all hitting three-pointers and Day chipping in another two hoops, but it was not enough to turn the game around and Peabody closed it out with a 69-53 victory.

“We just couldn’t keep up with their firepower offensively,” said Leary. “It was a competitive first half, but once they got going, we were playing uphill all night. We can’t hang our heads. We just have to keep working in practice to improve.”

The loss left Revere at 9-10 on the season, setting the stage for the Patriots to punch their ticket for a Journey to the Tourney in their final game of the season yesterday (Tuesday) against non-league rival Hamilton-Wenham. A victory will give Revere the .500 record that automatically qualifies a team for the post-season.

“We still have one more chance at reaching our goal of being a tournament team,” Leary said. “We won four of our last five games to give ourselves a chance, and that’s all you can ask.”

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