Page 14 THE EVERETT ADVOCATE – FRiDAy, MARCH 10, 2023 It’s award season in the GBL Everett, Malden, Revere girls basketball players join peers on the all-star team By Joe McConnell t ’s awards season. The Oscars are coming up for the Hollywood types, but locally in sports athletes and fans alike have high school league all-stars to celebrate, while the postseason continues on for the teams that made it to March Madness. I Tide all-star duo leads teammates to the postseason In girls’ basketball, sophomore guard Emilia Maria Babcock and junior forward Malaica Guillaume are the Everett Crimson Tide honorees on this year’s Greater Boston League (GBL) allstar team. Coach Riley Dunn’s squad was 9-5 in the GBL and 1010 overall. They made the Division 1 state tournament as the 40th seed, where they lost to host Weymouth (1210, 25th seed), 57-33, in a preliminary round game. The Weymouth girls then fell to North Andover (15-6, eighth seed) in a Round of 32 game, 50-32. Guillaume scored all three points in the opening stanza against Weymouth, and she added six more in the second quarter. She finished up with 15 points. Babcock chipped in with four during the postseason opener, and her efforts helped her teammates break into double figures before halftime. Golden Tornado earns star status Malden senior center Anna Yak joins the three Everett stars on the 2023 GBL elite team after leading her Golden Tornado teammates to an 11-9 overall record and a state tournament berth in Division 1, where they lost to Reading in a preliminary round game. Her efforts featured a four-game winning streak at the beginning of the season against Whittier Tech, Somerville, Salem and neighboring rival Everett. Patriots get two on prestigious squad Revere junior center Belma Velic and freshman guard Shayna Smith demonstrated this past season that the future is certainly bright for coach Lianne O’Hara’s club; the team finished up with a 6-14 record. With Velic and Smith still on the varsity roster next year, the Patriots should be ready to take that next step to the postseason in Division 2. Rounding up their GBL all-star teammates Here’s the rest of the 202223 GBL girls all-star roster: senior guard Ava Thurman, senior guard Lauren Hennessey, senior forward Akiyah Brown, junior guard Lauren Wilson and sophomore guard Keisha Perez of Lynn Classical; junior forward Jaeleigh Perry, sophomore guard Amara Flores and senior forward Matty Laurino of Lynn English; junior forward Bella O’Brien and senior guard Meryn McInnis of Medford; and senior forward Joselinne Moran Palma and junior guard Mia Pacheco of Somerville. The Lynn Classical Rams were this year’s GBL champs, and they were led by league MVPs Ava Thurman and Lauren Hennessey. Their mentor, Tom Sawyer, was this year’s GBL Coach of the Year. The Chelsea girls won the league sportsmanship award. Singling out the stars after another competitive hoop season Everett, Malden, Revere boys basketball players make their mark in the GBL By Joe McConnell A s the high school state tournament boys basketball brackets shrink to a precious few teams, who are now getting ready for their Elite 8 games, or the Round of 8, as the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) calls them, respective leagues have been announcing their all-star teams, as well as individual awards to their most outstanding individual players and coaches. The Greater Boston League (GBL) is no exception. Crimson Tide trio earns star status Senior guards Steven Cordero, Kevin Ruiz and David DeSouza completed their scholastic hoop careers on this always prestigious squad. Coach Stanley Chamblain could always count on Cordero to consistently be one of the team’s leading scorers, while Ruiz and DeSouza also did their part to spark the offense at crucial times during the season. As a team, they were 9-5 in the GBL, and 10-10 overall to qualify for the Division 1 state tournament, where they lost to Attleboro in a preliminary round game, 67-55. Patriots finish season strong with two allstars in the lead Revere coach Dave Leary’s team also ended up 10-10 overall after a late regular-season surge. They carried that momentum over to the Division 2 state tournament, where they upset Plymouth South, the 27th seed, 55-50, before bowing out to Nashoba Regional, the sixth seed, in a Round of 32 game, 71-40. Off the court, the Basketball Patriots were honored with two league all-stars: senior forward Domenic Boudreau and senior guard Alejandro Hincapie. Golden Tornadoes complete winning season with two allstars Malden veteran boys basketball coach Don Nally had a good year in the GBL, and it also helped that he had two senior all-stars leading the way. They are center Jonald Joseph and guard Justin Bell. The Golden Tornadoes through the efforts of these two players ended up with a 12-8 regular-season record. They then lost a close game to host Lowell, the 20th seed, in the Division 1 preliminary round game. GBL all-star roundup Here’s the 2022-23 GBL girls all-star roster: senior guard Tyrese Melo Garcia, senior center Joshua St. Jean, senior forward Nelson Obarisiagbon and sophomore guard Warren Keel of Lynn English; senior guard Sam Orcutt, sophomore guard Justin Marino and senior guard Anthony Teixeira-Kugler of Medford; freshman guard Marvin Avery, Jr. and junior guard Almina Gerado of Lynn Classical; senior guard Franco DiFusco and senior forward Jared Antonelli of Somerville; and junior guard Brauli Quezada Timeo of Chelsea. Lynn English won the league title, and they also had the league MVP. The aforementioned Keel is already turning heads as a sophomore star. Lynn English’s Alvin Abrue was the GBL Coach of the Year. Lynn Classical secured the sportsmanship award. Make a Splash at the 2023 JetBlue Shamrock Splash to support community events on area public beaches G et Cold for a Cause on Sunday, March 12 with Save the Harbor/Save the Bay at the 12th annual JetBlue Shamrock Splash! Join 250 splashers to raise money for free, fun summer events in your community by plunging into the cold, clean waters of Boston Harbor at Constitution Beach in East Boston. After a plunge in the cold harbor, participants will warm up with plenty of hot clam chowder and Harpoon beverages. Splashers are encouraged to wear a costume of their choosing for the event. The top six fundraisers and participants with the best costumes will win free round trip JetBlue tickets to anywhere JetBlue flies. Money raised at the Shamrock Splash will support Save the Harbor/Save the Bay’s Better Beaches Program in partnership with the Department of Conservation & Recreation. The Better Beaches grant allows local organizations to host fun beach events free to the public in Nahant, Lynn, Revere, Winthrop, East Boston, South Boston, Dorchester, Quincy and Hull. “Last year, Save the Harbor awarded $17,500 in Better Beaches grants to Revere organizations such as Revere Parks and Recreation, NamaStay Sober and Revere Beach Partnership,” said Save the Harbor/Save the Bay Executive Director Chris Mancini. “This money was used to put on events like International Sand Sculpting, Chalk the Boulevard, yoga classes on the beach, festivals, and Haus of Threes Progress on the beach.” SPLASH | SEE PAGE 15
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