Patriots’ playoff hopes hang in the balance after recent skid

By Dom Nicastro

The Revere High School Boys Basketball Team dropped two out of three and fell to 6-9 on the season, still clinging to hopes of making the postseason as it heads down the final stretch of the season. In its latest game, a 73-64 loss to Greater Boston League rival Somerville, Revere was led by senior tri-captains Ethan Day (27 points, seven rebounds), Avi Lung (14 points, four assists) and Erick Mayorga (13 points, seven rebounds).

The Patriots showcased their prowess in a commanding performance against their crosstown rivals, the Chelsea Red Devils. From the opening tip, Revere took control, racing to a 26-4 lead by the end of the first quarter. The team’s half-court trap disrupted Chelsea’s offense, while Lung, Mercado and Day propelled the offensive onslaught. The Patriots continued their aggressive play throughout the game, extending their lead to 38-10 at halftime and closing out with a 74-38 victory. In the game against Chelsea, Day led the scoring for Revere with 23 points, followed by Josh Mercado who contributed 14 points, and Avi Lung and Gio Alexandre added seven points each.

Revere coach David Leary was thrilled with the performance. “It could not have gone any better for us, a big difference from how things went last Saturday [a 57-52 loss at Malden],” Leary said. “We were intense, focused and our seniors really carried us early on to take control. Everyone gets up for the Chelsea game year in and year out; throw out the records. It’s our biggest rival.”

  Just two nights later, the Patriots faced a formidable opponent in the MIAA Division 2 No. 8-seeded Redmen of Tewksbury. The game started unfavorably for Revere, with Tewksbury quickly taking a 17-4 lead. Despite a strategic timeout by Coach Leary to switch to man-to-man defense, which initially helped close the gap, Revere struggled to maintain momentum. Tewksbury found its rhythm again toward the end of the first half, taking a 35-20 lead into the break. Revere showed signs of a comeback in the second half, with key contributions from Lung, Mayorga and Gio Alexandre, but the Redmen’s consistent scoring kept them ahead, and the Patriots eventually fell, 72-52. Against Tewksbury, Day was again the top scorer with 17 points, while Lung added 12 points and Mayorga scored nine points.

Reflecting on the game, Coach Leary acknowledged the challenge. “That’s a very good team we just battled with,” Leary said. “There was definitely some positives to know you can play with a team that talented and polished, but we just need to improve on doing it for 32 minutes and cannot fall behind the way we did. We bounced back after the slow start which is a good sign fighting through adversity, but on the other hand, we need to be ready at the jump every night. Just need to keep grinding.”

Revere hosts Chelmsford Thursday night, Feb. 6 (after press deadline).