Page 2 THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, February 13, 2026 McMAHON STOLE THE BALL! Malden sticks up Medford in OT, 58-55 Tornado boys basketball team makes Senior Night memorable with solid win By Steve Freker I f only Johnny Most could have been there! Only the real Old-Timers can agree with that ancient Celtics reference to the iconic radio announcer who made John Havlicek and Dennis “DJ” Johnson famous (Bird, too!). But one of the most memorable “(Fill in the blank) STOLE THE BALL!” moments in Malden High basketball history will be the one that occurred Thursday night at the MHS Roy Finn Gym. Down by a point, 57-56, with 7.8 seconds to play in overtime, Medford went to inbound the ball from its far end, hoping for a last-ditch, one Gerry D’Ambrosio Attorney-at-Law Is Your Estate in Order? Do you have an update Will, Health Care Proxy or Power of Attorney? If Not, Please Call for a Free Consultation. 14 Proctor Avenue, Revere (781) 284-5657 shot attempt to maybe win the game. Arguably, that 7.8 seconds is plenty of time to get the ball upcourt quickly and either heave up a three or perhaps just make it to the rim for a potential game-winning layup. But then, in a flash of some of the most enterprising defense Malden has seen all season, the visiting Mustangs ended up with a whole bunch of nothing. Nada. Zero. The pass went into the court, followed by a split second skirmish… but “McMAHON STOLE THE BALL!” Senior captain Ryan McMahon made the defensive play of the year — and his Tornado basketball career — when he stepped Sophomore Jason Minervini rises for a push with a blocked shot by a Medford big appearing imminent. in, yanked the ball free and then wrenched it away from the Medford guard. McMahon then dribbled three and was fouled with just three seconds left on the clock. The Tornado senior captain (15 points) then calmly hit both free throws to make it 58-55, and Medford could not ever get another shot off. McMahon’s 15 points matched his season high, but he was equally adept at dishing on this night, registering a rare high school “double-double,” as he also shared the ball all night with 10 assists. The Malden senior also went “Iron Man” McMAHON STOLE THE BALL! Malden High senior guard and captain Ryan McMahon got mobbed by the fans right after the game ended with a Malden win in overtime over Medford, 58-55. McMahon stole the ball with 7.8 seconds left and Malden clinging to a 56-55 lead. in this night, playing all 36 minutes — four quarters and then one OT period — one of the few Tornado players in basketball annals to pull off that feat. Malden also got a big night out of another senior captain, 6-4 captain Kaua Fernandes Dias Valadares. Fernandes poured in a season and career-high 24 points. In another “when was the last time you saw this” moment, Fernandes hauled in 13 rebounds — another “double-double” in the stats. We have no idea when was the last time a Malden team had TWO “double-double” players in the same game. It was all quite appropriate for their seniors to shine, as it was indeed “Senior Night,” where they were honored before their final home game and certainly showed out in their final outing before a home crowd. Besides McMahon and Fernandes, the two other senior starters recognized were 5-9 guard Chace Bolling, a first-year varsity played who battled his way into the starting lineup four games ago, and 6-3 senior captain and forward Colin Okoth, a regular starter who put up nine points in his final home game. Malden broke a four-game loss streak and actually kept slim postBALL | SEE PAGE 7 PROGRAM | FROM PAGE 1 business community. After brief remarks from Mayor Gary Christenson and Triangle CEO Rachel Kaprielian, guests met with program participants and heard about their accomplishments since joining the program. In just one year, Triangle’s Pleasant Street program has placed seven people into competitive jobs; the program has expanded by 200% — now with 30 enrolled members.
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