Crimson Tide boys basketball comes through in the clutch to clinch state tournament berth

Everett wins both games in Sharon’s Dudley Davenport Tournament to extend season

By Joe McConnell

Oftentimes, the phrase clutch performance is overused in the world of sports. What is described as clutch should be considered as routine most of the time. But earlier this week, the Everett High School (EHS) boys basketball team (10-10) lived up to the true meaning of the word clutch during the annual Dudley Davenport Tournament at Sharon High School. They needed two wins to make the Division 1 state tournament, and did so with a resolve that had second-year coach Gerard Boyce praising their efforts to reach every high school basketball team’s goal that’s set on the first day of practice way back in late November.

The Crimson Tide first defeated Walpole on Sunday (Feb. 16) in the tourney opener, 52-43. After a day off, the tournament resumed on Tuesday, where the Tide then upended the host team in the championship game, 61-54. As a result, these two “clutch” wins have extended the season for the Everett boys. They were back on the EHS court on Wednesday morning practicing as always, but this time it was to get ready for the postseason.

“It was a fantastic tournament, and also a great opportunity for our team,” said coach Boyce afterwards. “We’re looking forward to playing hard in the postseason tournament.”

In the Davenport opener against Walpole, Jevaun Berberena led all scorers with 15 points. Geordiell Luna Morales was next in line with 11. Cristian Vasquez contributed eight points to the winning cause. “We showcased a balanced offensive attack in this game,” said Boyce.

It was more of the same in the championship game against “a well-coached Sharon team,” according to Boyce, who then added, “which made it a true test for us.”

This game had the usual momentum swings, but the Tide overcame them all to emerge with a most satisfying victory.

Berberena was once again Everett’s leader on the court. He scored seven points against Sharon, but more importantly was credited with 10 assists, which setup his teammates for easier baskets. His overall play in this two-game tournament prompted Boyce to point out that he was “instrumental” to the team’s success this week.

Henrique Pinto stepped up in the clinching game against Sharon to finish with 14 points, while Vasquez impacted the play at both ends of the court with 11 points and five steals. But Luna Morales was the offensive leader with 22 points and nine rebounds.

Boyce singled out the unheralded contributions of Jayden Alsaindor, who was relentless on defense, while playing 30 of the 32 game time minutes. He also chipped in with eight points on offense. “(Alsaindor’s) efforts were crucial to our success, and we need that type of defensive intensity to win in the postseason,” said Boyce.

Boyce is looking forward to conducting more practices this week in preparation for the state tournament. On his way to Wednesday morning’s practice, he gleefully repeated Bill Belichick’s favorite three words: “No days off.”

As of Feb. 18, before they played the Sharon game, Everett was seeded 46^th in the Division 1 power rankings. There are 61 teams in this division. The Tide’s bound to move up a few spots when the final rankings are posted, probably today (Feb. 21), prior to the announcement of the state tournament pairings.