The Chelsea High basketball team split its two contests this past week to maintain its record for the season at a .500 pace, 6-6.
The Red Devils earned a 59-51 victory at Lynn Tech Monday in a contest that was not as close as the final score might indicate. Chelsea held a commanding 35-17 lead at the half and led by 17 after three periods. Tech fought back in the final frame, but never got close, with only a three-pointer at the buzzer bringing the final score under double digits.
Eric Flores and Oscar Sabillon paced the Red Devils in the scoring department with 22 and 18 points respectively. Faisal Nasimi made a major contribution with nine points as did Jorge Ramos with eight. Eric Fernandez chipped in three.
Last Friday Chelsea traveled to Greater Lawrence to take on one of the Red Devils’ chief rivals in the Large Division of the Commonwealth Athletic Conference. The contest was a close battle through the first half, with the teams deadlocked at 25-25 at the intermission.
However, GL made a run early in the third period to open some space and take a 40-33 advantage entering the final quarter. The difference stood in the range of 8-10 points until the final minute of the game, when the Red Devils mounted a furious comeback that sliced the GL lead to two with 15 seconds to play. However, GL hit its foul shots down the stretch to hold onto the win.
“We simply didn’t play well in the second half until the very end,” say CHS head coach Jay Seigal. “We need to be consistent through all four periods against if we’re to have success.”
Sabillon hit for 15 points followed by Flores with 10, Ramos with nine, Nelson Vega with seven, Victor Corrales and Fernandez with three each, and Albert Alicea with two.
The loss leaves the Red Devils and Greater Lawrence two games behind Greater Lowell in the race for the title of the Large Division of the Commonwealth Athletic Conference. However, Gr. Lowell still has to play at Greater Lawrence and at Chelsea, which means that if it should lose both of those games, there is a possibility of a three-way tie for the division crown.
The Red Devils, who need four more wins to qualify for the state tourney, were set to play at Revere last night (Wednesday). They will host No. Shore Tech Friday, travel to Lexington Saturday, and host Lynn Tech next Wednesday.