Malden High Boys and Girls Basketball teams ready to tap off their seasons

Tornado boys looking to get back on track; Girls want to return to postseason

By Steve Freker

As both teams look to improve this season, the Malden High School girls and boys basketball teams will kick off their respective regular seasons on Tuesday night. It will be a familiar opponent for both, Malden versus Everett, in the season opener. The Tornado boys and 21st year Head Coach Don Nally will be on the road at Everett (7:00 p.m. tap-off) on Tuesday, December 16, and Head Coach Scott Marino’s Tornado girls basketball team will host Everett in the season and Greater Boston League (GBL) opener at 6:00 p.m. in Malden’s Finn Gym.

For the Malden boys, there is no way to go but up after a treacherous, one-win-only season last year. Coach Nally’s squad is young overall this year with only five seniors: center Kaua Fernandes Dias (6-5), guards Ryan McMahon and Chace Bolling and forwards 6-3 Colin Okoth and 6-2 Yasser Belatreche. McMahon and Okoth are varsity returnees and Belatreche and Bolling are newcomers. Only two juniors are on the varsity roster this season, forwards Mario Joseph and Daniel Ferreira, both listed at 6-2 and both first-time varsity players. Six sophomores round out the roster for Coach Nally’s Tornados in 2025-26: forwards Jason Minerviini (6-4), Shawn Sekamwa (6-3), David Kintu (6-2) and Jaheim Rene (6-4) and guards Allan Deris (6-0) and Nguyen Sy (5-10). Minervini was a starter for most of the games last season as a freshman, and Sekamwa had some spot starts in between frequent injuries.

Malden got out on the court for real against Peabody last week and afforded themselves well in a 10-point “win.” Malden was scheduled to scrimmage at home today and then move on to the regular season. Next Thursday, December 18, Malden plays on the road at Somerville at 7:00 p.m. Malden boys’ home opener is Tuesday, December 22, hosting Chelsea at 6:00 p.m.

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Malden girls seek return to the State Tournament for fifth straight season

Coach Scott Marino’s girls basketball squad graduated several senior leaders from last year’s team, which qualified for postseason play for the fourth straight season. Malden this year will be led by junior Manicha Exilhomme, who led the team in rebounding last season, and seniors Jenesa Perez Sims, Olivia Rodrigues, Sophia Rodrigues, Madison Cook and Jaziarra Antoine. Junior Beyonce Pierre Rene is expected to contribute along with sophomores Mirka Kovacevic-Marinkovic, Sophia Nguyen-Guerreiro and Hadassa Pierre-Rene. Freshmen Hailey Graham, Sabrine Harrzaguia and Briella Nesta are also first-time varsity players.