RHS comeback falls short in loss to Chelsea
The Revere High boys basketball team fought back fiercely from a 20-point third quarter deficit to Greater Boston League (GBL) archrival Chelsea last week, but could not quite make it all the way back in a 55-50 loss to the Red Devils in Round 1 of the Battle of Broadway.
Chelsea came into the fray with a 4-0 record and fans from both cities packed the Merulo Fieldhouse.
The Patriots got off to a good start, getting a basket from sophomore guard Charles Dobre. Junior Bryan David added a basket and two free throws and junior guard Lucca Albano sank a three-pointer from the wing, giving Revere an early 9 -2 lead.
However, the Red Devils responded, making a few three-pointers and fast break baskets of their own to take a 15-11 advantage at the intermission.
The second quarter was more of a grind as both teams made adjustments on defense. The Patriots managed only five points in the second period on a bucket by Dobre, a finish inside from senior tri-captain Devin Berry (eight points, five rebounds), and a free throw from Bryan David (nine points, eight rebounds), allowing Chelsea to move out to a double-digit lead, 26-16 at the half.
The beginning of the third-quarter mirrored the second, as Chelsea found their range from the three-point line and the Patriots continued to struggle to score, pushing Chelsea‘s lead to 20 points midway through the period.
After Revere head coach David Leary called a timeout, the Patriot responded, picking up their defensive intensity and getting baskets from Dobre, senior center Zaney Kayembe, and two more hoops from Bryan David. Junior forward and recent JV call-up Nathan Brown (six points, six rebounds) also contributed with a nice offensive rebound and put-back.
However, the Red Devils still held a 17-point lead, 46-29, heading into the final eight minutes.
The Patriots extended their pressure defense to start the fourth quarter and began to chip away at the large deficit. Junior guard Chris Recinos gave the team a nice lift by scoring seven points in the quarter, including hitting a trey from the corner.
Perry added three more buckets inside the paint and Brown chipped in two more as well. Junior forward Nico Cespedes also got involved with two inside baskets, but in the end, the Pats had just dug too big of a hole to climb out of and Chelsea hung on for the victory.
“Chelsea is a tough team,” said Leary after the disappointing loss to their rivals. “Chelsea coach Cesar Castro has been building it with that same group for a few years and their experience showed in the end. We just cannot keep getting off to these slow starts and expect to come all the way back against good teams. We have to be better and we will keep working to get there.”
Two nights later, the Patriots traveled to Malden — whom Revere had defeated two weeks previously in the Patriot holiday tournament — but once again got off to a slow start.
Senior tri-captain Devin Berry (six points, three rebounds) and junior forward Bryan David (six points) each made a basket, but unfortunately, that was all the offense Revere could muster, leaving the Patriots trailing 13-4 at the end of the first quarter.
Revere received a spark from junior guard Chris Recinos (six points on 6-for-6 free throws) and senior forward Jadrian Sanchez who sank a three-pointer from the wing, made a tough drive to the basket, and had an offensive rebound and put back, but the early slow start had its effect on the Patriots and they trailed at the intermission, 27-15.
The third quarter started off slowly for both teams, but then Revere senior guard Isaiah Llanos made a floater in the lane and Bryan David had a put-back and made a couple of free throws, inching Revere closer.
However, the Golden Tornadoes would find their shooting touch, sinking four three-pointers to end the quarter, ballooning the Malden lead to 44-25 at the end of three periods.
Malden controlled the fourth quarter as well. Revere received a nice contribution from junior forward Nathan Brown (nine points, 10 rebounds) in the final period. Junior forward Nico Cespedes added a basket and two free throws and senior reserve guard Joseph Carlo made a three-pointer from the wing, but Malden continued their hard shooting and closed out the contest with a 58-41 victory.
“We just keep falling behind early in these games and it’s a bad trend to have,” said Leary, expressing frustration with his young and inexperienced team. “We all have to do a better job from the start so we don’t have to constantly have to come from behind. Our shot selection needs to get better and we need to cut down on our turnovers.
“We are showing signs of improvement at certain things, but it hasn’t been consistent enough to start winning games,” Leary continued. “We have to do it for 32 minutes.”
Revere now stands 2-6 on the season and has a big week coming up with five games in nine days.
They hosted non-league opponent Northeast Regional this past Monday and GBL foe Everett yesterday (Tuesday). Friday night they will travel to GBL rival Somerville and on Sunday they will trek to non-league opponent Chelmsford for a noon tip-off. They will return home to entertain GBL opponent Lynn Classical next Tuesday at 7:00.
Revere track teams do well at Northeast Invite
A contingent from the Revere High girls and boys indoor track and field teams participated in this past weekend’s MSTCA Northeast Invitational, which drew hundreds of competitors from throughout the northeast states.
“The biggest highlight for the girls was our 4 x 800 relay team, who put up the 21st best time in Massachusetts (and 11th-best time at the meet) on Saturday with a time of 10:55.33,” said RHS girls head coach Racquel MacDonald-Ciambelli. “This is the fastest time run by a 4 x 800 relay at RHS in 10 years. Gemma Stamatopoulos and Olivia Rupp were two clear choices for the team, given their mid-distance/distance backgrounds. Rania Hamdani and Zizi Kalliavas finished off the foursome, which is absolutely incredible given that they have more of a sprint background.”
On Friday, Olivia Rupp recorded a season-best time in the 1-mile with a clocking of 5:47.78. “This was a super-strong race for Olivia, who is still recovering from illness, and it was great to see her feel comfortable racing again.”
On Saturday, Gemma Stamatopoulos took on two additional events alongside her 4 x 800 performance. Gemma competed in the high jump and turned in a leap of 4”8″, which placed her 23rd among the field of 149 entries.
She also took on the 1000m and put up a time of 3:20.68. Junior Emma DaCrosta joined her in the 1000 meter and had a 17-second personal record (PR) with a time of 3:53.01.
Rania Hamdani came close to her lifetime PR on Saturday in the 300, running a 45.97. “Rania has been staying consistently under 46 for the last several meets,” noted MacDonald-Ciambelli.
Basma Sahibi competed in the 55m hurdles on Saturday and ran a time of 11.99.
We will head to Division 2 Relays on Sunday, January 17th.
On the boys’ side, Jeremy X was a top Patriot performer with a ninth-place finish in 200 dash with a sprint of 23.09. Jermey also turned in a strong effort in the 55 meter dash with a 14th place performance with a clocking of 6.84.
Oliver Escobar also shone for the Patriots with a ninth-place effort in the high jump with a leap of 5′-10″. Oliver additionally turned in a strong 12th place performance in the 55 meter dash with a sprint of 6.82. and an 11th place finish in the 200 dash in 23.10.
Other Patriots who performed well at the meet were ]Joey Angiulo with a 35th place in the 200 dash in 24.08; Edwin Alarcon with a 21st place finish in the 800 in 2:05.46 and a 22nd place effort in the 600 in 1:28.58; the 14th-place finish by the 4 x 800 quartet of Thomas Waldron, Cristian Requeno, Kosta Stamatopoulos, and Dioo Yogi in a time of in 9:25.72; and Bryan Maia with a 27th-place effort in the shot-put with a throw of 39′-7.5″.
RHS girls hoop hosts Somerville Friday at 6:00
The Revere High girls basketball team picked up a pair of key victories this past week over Greater Boston League rivals Chelsea (46-35) and Malden (51-34) to improve to 4-2 on the season.
Coach Ariana Rivera and her crew were scheduled to play at Everett last night (Tuesday) and will host Somerville Friday at 6:00. They will trek to Lynn Classical next Tuesday.
