Pair of wins pushes Malden to 5-4 overall heading into second half of season; Tide still seeking first win
A second-half surge like the one that Malden High girls basketball finished with in the first half of the season could propel the Blue and Gold Lady Tornados to a postseason berth for the first time in several seasons.
Malden Head Coach Scott Marino’s squad pushed past the .500 mark in the win column with a dominating, 50-33 win over visiting Everett High Tuesday night.
Last week, Malden took another one-sided win at home, 48-31 over visiting Medford High School. The two bookend wins came around a home loss, 44-33 to Lynn English last Thursday, January 20.
After Tuesday’s win, Malden improved to 5-4 overall (3-4 Greater Boston League), just over the qualifying percentage required to gain entry into this year’s MIAA Division 1 State Girls Basketball Tournament.
The loss kept Head Coach Riley Dunn’s Crimson Tide squad in search of its first victory, at 0-10 overall, 0-8 GBL.
Malden High’s Naveah Cherilus led all scorers with 22 points Tuesday night. Everett’s Kayley Rossi led the visiting Tide with 11 points.
Malden led at all junctures, including a big 25-11 edge at halftime, with Everett making a run in the third quarter to cut the lead to 9 points, 35-24.
Cherilus was again the high scorer in the Malden win over Medford with 19 points. Lisette Curran added 9 points for the Tornado girls.
“We are playing better in some parts of the parts of the game, like being aggressive in driving to the basket and getting off more shots,” Coach Marino said, “But we have a lot of work to do if we intend on making a real run at a state tourney spot.”
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Malden’s Girls Basketball schedule continues to be a busy one
Malden’s Girls Basketball schedule continues to be a busy one, with three games next week.
After last night’s game at home against Somerville (1-7), which took place after Advocate press deadline, Malden was scheduled for a rematch with the Somerville High School Highlanders on Monday at 6:00 p.m., on the road.
Malden was slated to stay on the road Tuesday, February 1 at Chelsea High (6:00 p.m. tipoff), before returning home for a 6:00 p.m. game hosting Greater Boston League rival Lynn Classical at 6:00 p.m.
Looking ahead, Malden closes out its GBL slate on the road at Revere on Tuesday, February 8 at 6:00 p.m.