Coming off a loss to the eventual tournament champion Milton Wildcats in the opening round, the Revere High School girls’ basketball team had a chance to score a consolation-round win over the New Mission Titans last Friday in the inaugural Revere High School Holiday Tournament at the Revere High School gym. The Patriots led by three entering the final quarter but were outscored 10-4 over the last eight minutes in a 35-32 defeat at the hands of the Titans. Center Belma Velic reached double figures with 12 points. She also hauled down eight rebounds and blocked two shots. Freshman Shayna Smith added a double-double effort to the proceedings with 10 points and 10 boards.
“It was a highly competitive and close game. We were once again down a starter, but we adapted better in this game,” said Revere Head Coach Chris Porrazzo after it was over. “We had control but then got outscored 10-4 in the final frame. We lost our poise there in the end. But we are doing our best to take it as a learning experience.”
The Patriots were also missing a key starter in last Thursday’s tourney opener against Milton, and roles had to be shifted as a result, according to Porrazzo. The Patriots fell behind 23-10 after the first half and couldn’t recover in an eventual 46-25 loss. Haley Belloise was Revere’s leading scorer with nine points, followed by Velic with six and sophomore Lea Doucette with four. Belloise and Velic each pulled down four rebounds.
“Obviously it was a tough game for us. Our inexperience showed,” Porrazzo observed. “Milton plays in a very tough league, and all of their strengths shined against us. They are a talented and well-coached team.”
On Tuesday, the Patriots dropped a 56-47 decision to Lynn English in a Greater Boston League (GBL) clash. The defeat left Revere with a 1-5 overall record and a 1-3 mark in the GBL. Velic poured in 17 points and Belloise canned 14 points to lead the Patriots, who also got eight points from Nisrin Sekkat and five from Marwa Riad.