Revere boys basketball team triumphs in back-to-back road battles

By Dom Nicastro

The Revere High School boys basketball team secured two consecutive victories last week to climb within a game of .500. The “road warriors,” as Patriots coach David Leary dubbed his team, have shown strength and endurance in the face of eight straight road or neutral-site games in the first half of the season.

Last Thursday, the Patriots traveled to Chelmsford, where they faced off against the Merrimack Valley Conference contenders in a closely fought match. After a slow start and trailing early, Revere’s senior tri-captain Josh Mercado (11 points, five rebounds, two steals) ignited the offense with a corner three-pointer, setting the tone for a gritty comeback. The game remained tightly contested, with the score tied at halftime.

The third quarter saw Revere pulling ahead, bolstered by effective plays from junior forward Devin Berry (10 points, six rebounds) and senior tri-captains Ethan Day (21 points, six rebounds, four assists) and Avi Lung (three huge free throws down the stretch). Revere ended up securing a 55-49 victory. Berry gave the Patriots a huge lift off the bench with three tough finishes in the lane over bigger defenders, and Day had two more nice drives to the hoop, giving the Patriots a 42-34 lead headed into the final quarter.

The Lions went on a 15-2 run in a 2:30 stretch to take a 49-48 lead with four minutes to go. Revere held tough, though.

“We are proud of these guys,” Leary said. “It’s not easy to travel an hour plus on a bus and show up mentally ready to go, but they were ready. The way these kids responded after losing a 12-point lead was important and encouraging moving forward. No quit in these boys, and Ethan obviously was fantastic down the stretch. They all were; proud of our defense holding them scoreless the final four minutes.”

The very next day, the Patriots faced another tough opponent in Somerville. Despite signs of fatigue, Revere started strong, propelled by Day’s aggressive play and Josh Mercado’s buzzer-beating three-pointer to end the first quarter with a 19-7 lead. However, as the game progressed, fatigue and intensified defense from Somerville saw Revere struggling to maintain its lead. The game’s climax came in the final seconds of regulation, with the score tied at 39-39. Somerville briefly led, but a step-back three-pointer from Day forced overtime.

In the extra period, strategic plays and crucial rebounds from Berry and freshman standout Charles Dobre (six points, six rebounds, two steals) kept the Patriots ahead. The Highlanders, however, nailed a three to cut it to 46-45 with 30.6 remaining. Day was fouled with 23 seconds to go, and he made one of two free throws, putting the Patriots ahead 47-45. Somerville came down looking for the tying or go-ahead basket, but freshman Dobre jumped the passing lane and flew down court to the basket. After a missed layup, Day was there to clean it up with the rebound and finish to give Revere the 49-45 overtime win.

“Well that was intense,” Leary said. “We are obviously fortunate to get this one. We knew it would be tough. They are well-coached and aggressive, and I think we got fatigued at some point after playing back-to-back, but we are so proud of the way these guys responded and didn’t quit, and obviously Ethan’s shot was immense. Looking forward to finally playing at home again next week. Huge effort and win.”

Revere (4-5) now will host Greater Boston League rival Lynn Classical on Thursday night, Jan. 16, in a rematch from its game at Salem State a few weeks ago where Classical won, 64-51.