CHS Roundup
Boys basketball defeats
Gr. Lawrence in OT, 75-65
The Chelsea High boys basketball team got back to the .500 mark with an exciting 75-65 overtime victory over Greater Lawrence Tuesday evening in the CHS gym.
The contest was a hard-fought battle throughout the four periods of regulation until the Red Devils took control in the four-minute OT session to claim the victory.
Chelsea held slim leads at all of the quarter junctures — 10-9, 27-23, and 44-43 — and maintained a three-point edge up to the closing seconds. However, Greater Lawrence sank a three-pointer at the buzzer to send the contest into the extra session.
A combination of stifling defense and excellent shooting combined to propel Chelsea to take control in OT. Angel Alvarez scored five of his 11 points on the night in the OT (including a three pointer), Steve Lacey (who led Chelsea with 21 points) sank four free throws, and Chris Torrez (20 points) hit a bucket to provide the winning-offense.
Other scorers on the night for Chelsea were Jahro Marshall, who made a nice contribution with nine points, Guillermo Zalata with seven points, Jaime Celorio with three points, and Balmeiro Daveiga with a free throw.
A key to the CHS victory was the Devils’ proficiency from the free throw line. Chelsea sank 22-of-31 shots from the charity stripe, a rate of about 70 percent.
By contrast, in last Friday’s 54-44 loss to Shawsheen, Chelsea hit on just 4-of-13 attempts — about 30 percent — from the line.
That contest was closer than the final 10-point spread might indicate, as the Red Devils led 12-11 after one quarter and 25-22 at the half. They trailed 38-35 after three frames and the contest remained in that posture until the final minutes when Chelsea was forced to foul and Shawsheen hit its free throws.
“This was a very frustrating game for us,” said CHS head coach Jay Seigal. “We had leads in the 7-8 point range throughout the first half and had opportunities to expand it into double digits, but we made crucial mistakes that prevented us from breaking the game open. We have to learn to stop forcing the offense when we have the lead and to be more patient.”
Lacey led Chelsea with 20 points, including four from three-point land. Alvarez, who sank two treys, was next on the point parade with 11, followed by Marshall with nine, and Torrez and Daveiga with two apiece.
The Red Devils, who now are 4-4 on the season, will host Northeast Regional Friday and travel to first-place Greater Lowell Tuesday.
Exciting wins for CHS boys, girls track
Both the Chelsea High boys and girls indoor track teams pulled off exciting victories against Medford last Thursday.
The boys’ meet came down to the final event, the 4 x 400 relay, with the Chelsea quartet of Jose Aguiar, Alezio DaSilva, Leonardo DeAlmerdia, and Adrial Cedano winning in a time of 4:06 to give the Red Devils a 47-39 victory.
The contest was a back-and-forth battle the entire way. “This team refused to let Medford put any distance between them in terms of points,” said CHS head coach Mark Martineau. First-place finishers for Chelsea were: senior Johnny Gomez in the two-mile (12:30); senior Jose Aguiar in the 600 (1:38); junior Adriel Cedano in the high jump (5’-6”); and senior Luka Braga in the shotput.
However, the key to victory was provided by the second and third place performances turned in by the Red Devil trackmen. , “What made the difference was all of the second and third place finishes we won,” noted Martineau. “Each race was a battle and the boys rose to the occasion.”
This group included Eric Orellana (second in the two mile), who was asked to make the jump to the two-mile for the Medford meet. Adriel Cedano and Nick Ieng took second and third in the dash. Sophomore Nelson Hernandez took second in the shotput. Sophomore and track newcomer Jose Leclerc grabbed a second in the mile, while teammate Jansel Caludio finished third in that contest.
Senior Sam Hernandez took second in the 1000 and Bryan Rivas snared a third in the hurdles.
Although the final outcome was not quite as dramatic on the girls’ side, their meet too, was a close encounter, as Chelsea accumulated just enough points prior to the relay to clinch the win by a score of 48-34.
First-place finishers for the Lady Red Devils included: senior Mariama Kamara in the dash, senior Wendy Becerra in the two-mile (14:14), sophomore Martin Simon in the 300 (43.43), freshman Jocelyn Poste in the 1000 (3:49), and senior Jazmine Castilian in the shotput.
“Once again, it was all the second and third place finishes that made the difference for this team,” noted Martineau.
Adding key points for the Chelsea side of the scoresheet were: Melanie Nguyen, second in the hurdles; Katherine Cabral, second in the dash; second and third places in the 600 by freshman Gabriela Bermudez and sophomore Awa Bajinka; ,third in the 1000 by Emely Burgos; and second and third spots in the mile by freshman Yarid Deras and senior Cynthia Guzman.
The 4 x 400 relay team of Kamara, Simon, Post, and Bajinka also captured victory in a time of 5:05.
“The star of the meet was Martin Simon,” added Martineau. “Due to injuries of teammates, we had to ask her to run (and win) the 300. She rose to the occasion with a big win and capped off her day by anchoring the relay for us.”
Both the boys and girls squads were set to take on Malden yesterday (Wednesday) and will participate in the MIAA State Relay Meet Saturday at the Reggie Lewis Track Center.
Bruins Beat
by Bob Morello
Bruins continue to juggle lines
While the Record headed to press Wednesday night, the Bruins were preparing to do battle with the Philadelphia Flyers on their home ice… the Wells Fargo Center, in the fourth game of their five-game road trip. The Flyers were riding the wave of a three-game win streak, while Boston was coming off a 2-1 disappointing loss to the New York Rangers, in a game in which they played well, but lost it at the end. The loss to the Rangers ran Boston’s record for their last ten games to a depressing 3-6-1.
One of the bright spots in the Rangers’ game, despite the loss, is the recent, strong play of 6’ 5” Jimmy Hayes. The Dorchester native ran his goals scored total to a respectable ten, scoring five goals in eight games. His strong showing has prompted several line changes, as Coach Claude Julien continues to move his forward lines in chess match fashion, and rewarding Hayes with a shot at the first line with Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand. The continuing recovery of center David Krejci (upper body), and defenseman Adam McQuaid (concussion?), as expected, continues to have an effect on lineup possibilities. Neither injured player has joined the team on this current road trip to date.
With 41 of the 82-regular season games played, the Bruins at press time are tied with the New Jersey Devils for the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference standings, with the Bruins having played three fewer games. Maybe not a comfortable position for the Bruins to be in halfway through the regular season, but when considering that Boston is within four points of second place, it’s not that bad. Plus, of the five teams ahead of them in the conference standings, the Bruins hold two games in hand on four of them.
The time is now for Boston to put together a win streak, similar to the eight-game win streak currently enjoyed by the red-hot Chicago Blackhawks, and the recent Florida Panthers’ 12-game win streak which ended with an overtime loss to Vancouver Canucks. Florida has now earned at least a point in their last 13 games which moved them up to the #2 spot in the Eastern Conference, and first place in the Atlantic Division. If the Bruins don’t emerge victorious in Philadelphia, they will get another opportunity to start the much needed win streak tomorrow (Friday at 7:00pm) night when they are hosted by the Buffalo Sabres. Buffalo will be looking to extend their two-game win streak against the Bruins in their Friday matchup.
Bruins forward Patrice Bergeron has been named as the lone member of the Boston Bruins to the 2016 NHL All-Star team. Probably the most surprising factor is that Bergeron will be making only his second All-Star appearance in his 11-year career with the Bruins… his steady play over the years, should have earned him many more selections. This year’s All-Star Game festivities will be hosted for the first time by the city of Nashville, and will feature a new format, with teams representing each NHL division, participating in a three-game tournament that will be played in a 3-on-3 format. The 2016 NHL All-Star Skills Competition will take place on Saturday, January 30th with a 7:00pm start, followed by the NHL All-Star Game on Sunday, with a 5:00pm puck drop.