Red Devils defeat Northeast Reg., 63-55; host Revere tonight
Angel Alvarez struck for 22 points and grabbed seven rebounds to lead the Chelsea High boys basketball team to a 63-55 triumph over Northeast Regional Vocational School this past Friday.
The contest was not as close as the final score might indicate. The Red Devils expanded a 27-20 advantage at the half into a 20-point bulge by the early part of the fourth quarter.
The key to the Red Devil surge after the intermission stemmed from an uptick in their defensive intensity. Chelsea employed a full-court press that created turnovers that in turn led to some easy Chelsea buckets.
CHS head coach Jay Seigal gave all of his reserves some playing time in the final frame. Northeast sank three three-pointers in the waning minutes to close the margin to single digits.
“We were never in danger of allowing them to come back,” said Seigal. “They hit some threes, but never threatened.”
In addition to Alvarez’s 22, Chris Torrez reached double figures for Chelsea with 10 points, followed by Jahro Marshall with nine, Steve Lacey with eight, Cobi Molina with six, Jaime Celorio with four, and the duo of Ralphie Otero and Guillermo Zelata with two points apiece.
Chelsea did not have as much luck Tuesday at Greater Lowell, which is undefeated in the Commonwealth Athletic Conference and stands alone atop the standings of the Large Division of the CAC.
The Red Devils were within striking range at the half, trailing by five, 27-22, as the teams entered the locker room. Greater Lowell came out firing after the intermission and moved out to a lead that grew to 16 points midway through the third period. However, Chelsea fought back and worked the margin to eight, 44-36, at the third buzzer.
The Red Devils moved within five points by the midpoint of fourth period, but could not get over the proverbial hump. Greater Lowell took advantage of some Chelsea turnovers and went on a run that put the game away, with the scoreboard showing a score of 60-43 in favor of Gr. Lowell at the final buzzer.
Lacey led Chelsea in the scoring column with 17 points. Alvarez also reached double figures with 14.
“We didn’t play our best against Greater Lowell,” said Seigal, whose squad now stands at an even-steven, 5-5 record at the midpoint of the season. “Still, it was encouraging that we stayed with them for most of the game.’
Despite the loss, Seigal remains upbeat about his team as it enters the second half of the season. “Overall, we’ve been improving each week and our practices have been getting better and better,” said the coach. “I’m optimistic that we can continue to grow as a team and that we’ll make some nice strides in the second half of the season.”
The Red Devils next will host a non-league foe, Revere, tonight (Thursday) in a contest that has become the biggest rivalry game on the schedule for both teams in the past few years.
“Both the players and the fans really look forward to our games with Revere,” said Seigal of the home-and-home battles that hearken back to the days when Chelsea and Revere both were members of the Greater Boston League and their contests in all sports were fierce matches. “It’s nice to see the enthusiasm that the games create among the students in both schools.”
Tip-off time this evening for the Battle of Broadway is set for 7:00 at the CHS gym.
Seigal and his crew then will entertain Essex Tech Tuesday at 5:30.
Bruins Beatby
Bob Morello
Bruins enjoy ‘Taste of Revenge’
The Boston Bruins have found the taste of revenge to be, oh so sweet. The revenge factor spilled over from their embarrassing 5-1 loss at the hands of the Montreal Canadiens at the 2016 NHL Winter Classic. After starting the year 2016 off with their no-show performance, Boston rebounded with a solid 60-minute effort Tuesday night by posting a resounding 4-1 victory on Montreal’s home ice. Tuukka Rask was at the top of his game versus the Habs, a team he does not often fare well against (5-15-3), stopping 38 shots and earning the game’s #2 star. The victory, Boston’s second on Bell Centre ice this season, extended streaks for both teams – Boston with three wins, and Montreal posting five losses.
The number one star went to Patrice Bergeron who played an outstanding game during his close to 22 minutes of ice time, while notching his 18th goal of the season. Additional Boston goals were scored by Max Talbot, with the new dad scoring unassisted in the first period to put the Bs on the board first, followed by Bergeron, David Pastrnak (4), and Brad Marchand’s empty net goal (17). For Pastrnak the game was a confidence builder, as he returned to action following a pair of injury setbacks. Coach Claude Julien inserted onto the fourth line to allow him to get back to game speed, and Pastrnak responded with two points, his goal and an assist on the Bergeron goal.
The Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens have autographed, and will auction their game-worn jerseys from Tuesday’s contest at Bell Centre, with all proceeds going to support Boston Pride forward Denna Laing in her rehabilitation and recovery from the injury she suffered while playing in the Outdoor Women’s Classic. The announcement made jointly by the National Hockey League, the National Hockey League Players’ Association, the Boston Bruins and the Montreal Canadiens as part of their joint and ongoing commitment to Denna Laing. The Bruins and Canadiens wore the Winter Classic-themed jerseys for this first meeting between the clubs since the 2016 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic. Each player will sign his game-worn jersey, which will be put up for bid on the League’s official auction site: auctions.nhl.com/DennaLaing. At press time (Wednesday), Bergeron’s jersey had a top bid of $5,060, and Rask’s jersey followed with a high bid of $3,520. Bidding will close on February 11th at 9:00pm EST.
The Bruins return to Garden ice tonight (Thursday 7:00pm) to take on the Vancouver Canucks who are currently battling with three other teams for sixth place in the Western Conference standings. Boston will host the Columbus Blue Jackets who hold the 16th and final spot in the conference standings on Saturday 7:00pm, before heading to Philadelphia to take on the Flyers (Monday 7:00pm), and back to Garden ice to host the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday 7:00pm, prior to the six-day All-Star Game break. Patrice Bergeron will be the lone Bruins player participating in this season’s festivities.