Page 22 THE REVERE ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2024 Lady Patriots basketball has eyes on more success this winter By Dom Nicastro T he Revere High School girls basketball team embarks on a new season under the guidance of secondyear Coach Ariana Rivera. Expectations are high following last year’s 14-6 record and a shared Greater Boston League championship. Despite a tough exit in the Division 1 state tournament against Durfee, the team is poised for success. Opening their season with a decisive 42-27 victory against Everett, the Patriots showcased their potential. Freshman Allyson Oliveira stood out by scoring 17 points. Coach Rivera noted Oliveira’s signifi cant contribution, saying, “It was a big game for her,” Rivera said. “She’s very polished. She plays AAU yearround, which is awesome, but her basketball IQ is toptier as a freshman. Her poise, composure. She just has a lot of basketball IQ and court awareness, so she’s a pretty solid 3-point shooter as well.” The team also features strong leadership from senior captains Belma Velic, Lea Doucette and Marwa Riad, each bringing unique skills to the fl oor. Rivera described the leadership qualities of Riad, saying, “Marwa is very vocal in terms of off the court. She’s a very good leader. Kind of makes sure everyone’s on the same page. We like to call her the hype woman because regardless of if she starts, if she comes off the bench, she brings very good energy.” Velic, known for her rebounding prowess, plays a central role. “She played well against Everett. Rebounding-wise, she always does her job,” Rivera said. “She didn’t put up a ton of numbers as far as points, but she kind of gets our offense going, especially with Allyson, she works well with her kind of sucking the defense in and then being able to kick it out for her shot.” Junior Shayna Smith is going to fall back into a role as a power forward rather than a guard, which is more what she was last year. “She’s taken a little time to adjust into that old position that she was her freshman year, but I think she’s happy to be there again,” Rivera said. “She an aggressive player. She likes to play down low, gets in there with rebounds. It defi - nitely helps generate a lot of points for us.” The season, however, is not without its challenges. Kri Ruiz, a promising senior transfer who was handling point guard duties, suffered a broken fi nger, throwing a wrench into the team dynamics. Rivera described her initial impact and subsequent injury. “She was running point for us, and she played well,” Rivera said. “It’s kind of TBD, but she broke her fi nger, so she may or may not need surgery on that.” Furthermore, sophomore Sarah Leccheb’s possible torn ACL injury during the same Everett game adds to the team’s adversities. “Sarah Leccheb, she might have torn her ACL, so we’re struggling once again to fi nd a true point guard, but we’ll overcome the adversity as always,” Rivera said. Patriots boys hoop competitive in two losses By Dom Nicastro T he Revere boys basketball team opened its season with a pair of losses, showing flashes of potential despite the early setbacks. Its most recent encounter this Tuesday against Medford ended with a 71-61 defeat, while a nail-biting 59-55 season-opening loss to Everett highlighted their resilience and room for growth. Against Medford, senior tricaptain Ethan Day led the Patriots with an impressive performance, scoring 31 points along with seven rebounds and five assists. Senior forward Erick Mayorga added 13 points and nine rebounds, and Gio Alexandre contributed fi ve points and six rebounds. The Patriots trailed Everett, 19-13, after the fi rst quarter and were down 30-25 at halftime. Everett extended its lead to 12 points in the third quarter before Revere rallied back to tie the game with about three minutes remaining. The final minutes were fraught with fouls and free throws, with Everett sealing the game by converting their last six from the line. Coach David Leary refl ected on the team’s performance, noting the impact of early game jitters and mental errors. “Early-game jitters, especially in the first quarter... I think that’s where we lost the game,” Leary said. “We lost by four, we lost the fi rst quarter by six.” He was proud of how the team did not give in, crediting a mid-game adjustment and cleaner play in the second half. Day also showed his leadership in the Everett game, scoring 18 points along with six rebounds. Senior guard Avi Lung added 16 points, including four crucial steals and three 3-pointers. Junior forward Zane Kayembe chipped in with 10 points, providing much-needed support off ensively. Coach Leary also praised Alexandre for his solid defense and rebounding, saying, “Gio made a three in the second quarter and played some solid defense, and he had seven rebounds off the bench, so he was pretty solid as well.” Coach Leary remains optimistic about the team’s ability to improve, particularly in handling pressure and reducing turnovers. As the season progresses, the Patriots will look to refi ne their strategies and build on their early experiences. Revere girls, boys track gets personal wins at Winter Festival Revere had a fine start to the track season at the large school MSTCA Winter Festival. The girls had three lifetime PRs and numerous topfi ve fi nishes. Senior captain Liv Yuong placed fi rst in the high jump with a leap of 4-10. She also placed sixth in the 55-meter hurdles with a time of 10.5. Sophomore Olivia Rupp ran a lifetime PR in the mile by almost two seconds with a time of 5:52.02. This was good for a third-place fi nish. “She looked so strong throughout the whole race,” Revere coach Racquel MacDonald-Ciambelli said. “I’m very confi dent that she will be in the 5:40s very soon.” Senior captain Francoise Kodjo threw a PR in the shotput of 27-05.5, which was good enough for a sixth-place fi nish. Sophomore Gemma Stamatopoulos jumped a PR in the high jump with a jump of 4-10, which placed her third. The girls take on Medford and Everett on Thursday in their first Greater Boston League meet of the season. The Revere boys also had a good opener with some PRs and great early-season performances. Oliver Escobar, junior, finished third in the high jump, setting a new PR of 6-0. His prior PR was 5-6, and this qualifi es him for the state meet. “Oliver reached an entirely new level at Winter Fest,” Revere coach Dave Fleming said. “He even surprised himself with his performance. He got coaching during the week from long-time RHS coach Sam Ros, which made all the diff erence.” Jeremy X, junior, finished fi fth in the 300-meter in 37.98. He also set a personal record in the 55-meter in 6.92. “I love his attitude,” Fleming said. “He set a new PR, but he wasn’t thrilled with his performance. He knows he can run much faster.” Youness Chahid, senior, fi nished third in the mile, setting a new PR with a time of 4:40.56. “Youness ran a smart race,” Fleming said. “He didn’t go out too quickly, he stayed connected in the middle part of the race, and he fi nished strong.” Edwin Alacron, junior, placed fi fth in the 1,000-meter with a new PR of 2:49.97. “Edwin’s fun to watch,” Fleming said. “He got out quickly, let himself get boxed in a bit, but fi nished well. He knows he can run faster.” Isaiah DeCrosta, senior, made the fi nals in the 55-meter hurdles and fi nished seventh, which Fleming called a “solid opener. … It was good to see him make the fi nals.” Fleming’s in his third season as coach. Last year, the Patriots fi nished 6-1 and second in the GBL regular season. They won the GBL Indoor League Championship Meet. The team had strong turnout for this winter season. It has about 50 on our current roster. DeCrosta, Kenan Batic, Mo Fares and X serve as captains.
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