Everett girls basketball extends winning streak to four to narrow the gap for a D-1 postseason berth

Tide hosts Medford next Thursday night looking for more success as the calendar flips to February 

By Joe McConnell

The Everett High School girls basketball team (7-8) is getting hot at the right time of the season. Authors of four straight wins, the Crimson Tide rattled off a couple of wins to end one week before beginning another, when they defeated host Somerville (46-44, Jan. 25) and then non-league New Mission at home on Monday night, 75-46 that extended the winning streak at the time to three.

The Everett girls took on the Highlanders again, this time on their own home court the next night, where they beat their longtime Greater Boston League (GBL) rivals by the slimmest of margins, 39-37 on Senior Night. The Tide began the streak against host Lynn English, 48-41 on Jan. 23. Teams with .500 or better records qualify for the state tournament, and the Tide girls are now right in contention for a postseason berth with five games still left on the regular season schedule.

“This was a huge comeback win for us against a tough, physical Somerville team,” said coach Riley Dunn after last Thursday night’s game. “The girls stayed resilient and gritty to fight back from being 10 down with two minutes to play. They never gave up.

“The defense really made things happen for us on offense,” added Dunn. “Defense is our identity, and I’m so proud of their fight and hustle in this game. This truly was a team win.”

Dunn mentioned that numerous players stepped up at different times during the game to make big plays, singling out the likes of Malaica Guillaume, who was everywhere on defense, and Sonia Constanza Flores and Casey Martinez, who hit some big-time shots down the stretch. The veteran coach also said that Kaesta Sandy and Taisha Alexandre posted up well down low to come up with some major rebounds and putbacks, when their teammates needed them the most.

Emilia Maria Babcock led the offense with 19 points to go along with five rebounds and two steals. One of her shots tied the game with seconds left on the clock. Sandy then grabbed a crucial offensive rebound after a missed free throw, and without hesitation put it back up to account for the game-winning points.

Malaica Guillaume was credited with six points and seven rebounds. Flores contributed six points and six rebounds to the winning cause.

The Tide began this week with the win over aforementioned New Mission. “This was a major team win for us,” said Dunn.

Babcock came through with her first double / double of the season to help pace the attack. She ended up with 17 points and 10 assists to go along with three steals. Babcock shot a perfect five for five from the free throw line to do her part to secure the triumph. Guillaume chipped in with 19 points, seven rebounds and two steals. Clarice Alexis poured in 17 points, while Sandy had 10 points and five rebounds. Taisha Alexandre finished up with eight points and seven rebounds.

Dunn offered her thoughts on Flores following the New Mission game. “She’s always an energetic and tough presence on the floor, contributing in numerous ways for us,” the coach said. She had six assists, five steals and three rebounds in this game, and is constantly doing the little things, while pushing herself in every game to be the best she can be for the team.”

The Everett girls took on host Revere last night (Feb. 1) after press deadline. They now have a week off to practice, before welcoming Medford to town for a game next Thursday night, starting at 6 p.m.