The Chelsea High basketball team raised its record to .500 with a pair of consecutive victories over Commonwealth Athletic Conference rivals Whittier Tech and Northeast Regional this past week. The Red Devils now stand at 4-4 overall and 3-0 in the Large School Division of the CAC.
Last Friday evening’s victory at Whittier saw the Red Devils build a 51-37 lead after three quarters, only to have Whitter battle back and threaten to tie the game in the waning seconds. However, Chelsea held on for the 64-61 win.
Four Red Devils reached double figures, led by Kevin Almeida, Oscar Sabillon, and Victor Corrales with 13 points each, and Eric Flores hitting for 12.
“We played well for most of the game and had a nice lead, but we began to rush things in the fourth quarter,” said CHS head coach Jay Seigal. “We should have used the clock to our advantage, but we got careless and allowed Whittier to get back into it.”
Tuesday night’s win over Northeast was a see-saw battle in which the Red Devils also showed a high degree of inconsistency. Chelsea came out flat, trailing 15-7 after one period and 26-22 at the half. However, the Red Devils came out firing on all cylinders after the intermission and moved out to a 39-35 edge after three frames.
The Red Devils maintained a 47-44 lead going into the final 10 seconds, but a missed Chelsea shot and a foul on a N.E. shooter in three-point territory (who made the free throws) sent the game into overtime.
However, the Red Devils regrouped in the OT session to outscore Northeast 15-9 to claim a 62-56 win.
Flores was high man for Chelsea with a fine 23 point performance. Sabillon added 11 and Albie Alicea chipped in 10 with a strong two-way effort. “Albie always gives us 100 percent at both ends of the floor,” said Seigal. “He’s a superb defensive player whose offensive skill are improving with every game.”
Chelsea’s lone loss of the week came last Thursday to arch-rival Revere in a non-league encounter, 65-51. Flores led Chelsea with 18 points and Sabillon hit for 13. Eric Fernandez reached double figures with 11.
Chelsea has a key CAC Large matchup with first place on the line when the Red Devils trek to Greater Lowell Friday. They will play at Lexington Saturday and host Mystic Valley Tuesday.