Crimson Tide girls basketball goes to Revere to beat the Patriots to secure third win

Everett wraps up the regular season next week on the road against non-league foes Gloucester, Marblehead

By Joe McConnell

In the final Greater Boston League (GBL) game of the season, the Everett High School girls basketball team (3-14) defeated host Revere Tuesday night (Feb. 11), 48-42. But first, Coach Riley Dunn’s team dropped a 50-37 decision to the Lynn Classical Rams also on the road last Friday night.

“This game (against Lynn Classical) was a tough, but hard-fought loss for us,” Dunn said. “I really saw some fight in all of the girls, especially from our bench players, who stepped up when the starters got into foul trouble. Together, we fought until the end.”

Senior captain Emilia Maria Babcock led the way with 12 points and six rebounds in just the first three quarters of the game.

Julianna Rivera was next in line with 10 points to go along with her two assists and three rebounds, which completed an excellent all-around game for her. Nicole Damaceno worked relentlessly on defense, and also collected four points, while pulling down 12 rebounds that helped keep the score close throughout most of the game.

But the game against the aforementioned Patriots had nothing but positive vibes from beginning to end.

“This was a huge team win against a tough Revere squad,” said Dunn. “I’m so unbelievably proud of my girls, and the grit and unselfish play they displayed throughout the entire game.   They played like a true team, with every single player stepping up. We needed all of their contributions, because we were shorthanded with a limited roster.

“It’s been an extremely challenging season, but in this game, they focused on the goal at hand,” said the veteran Everett coach afterwards. “Their resilience, tenacity and winning mentality was on full display against Revere. I could not be prouder of this club. This was a true team win.”

Rivera (5 rebounds, 2 assists) and Maria Babcock (6 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals) paced the offensive attack with 15 points apiece. Damaceno (14 rebounds) chipped in with eight.   “(Damaceno) was a beast on the boards against Revere,” said Dunn.

Also in the Revere game, Casey Martinez came through with seven points, three assists and two steals. Katerin Landaverde accounted for three points and three offensive rebounds. Manal Bouhou had six huge rebounds and one steal, while playing tremendous touch defense down low, according to Dunn.

“Each and every player also played tenacious team defense,” said Dunn. “They never gave up, while responding to every challenge thrown at them, and as a result were poised under pressure to secure this win.”

The Everett girls are scheduled to play three more games against non-league opponents to wrap the regular season. They first took on Lowell at home last night (Feb. 13) after press deadline. They will then begin next week at Gloucester to play the Fishermen Tuesday night (Feb. 18) at 6 p.m., before going to Marblehead to face the Magicians two nights later, starting at 5 p.m.