The 3-0 Chelsea High boys basketball team will return to action from its holiday break when coach Cesar Castro and his Red Devils host non-league opponent Boston English this Friday afternoon (January 2). The opening tip is set for 2:30.
The Red Devils’ fast start has seen them defeat three Greater Boston League (GBL) rivals, Somerville, Everett, and Malden.
In the 67-56 triumph over Somerville, Geo Brito (18 points) and Moe Osman (16 points) led the way in the scoring department. Point guard JJ Williams also reached double figures with 15 points and dished seven assists. Brouk Ephrem turned in a key performance, dominating the boards in the second half.
The 44-43 triumph over Everett was a thriller that saw Chelsea overcome a six-point deficit with 1:30 to play. “Our relentless defense set us up to win, holding Everett to only 13 points in the second half, 10 in the third and just three in the fourth quarter,” said Castro. “The fact that Everett only scored three free throws and no field goals in the fourth speaks volumes about our defense.”
The outcome of the contest came down to the final 20 seconds with the Devils trailing, 43-41 and Everett in possession of the ball. However, Chelsea stole the ball and Castro called a timeout. The Red Devils worked the ball around the perimeter of the Crimson Tide defense until Hus Mohammed drove toward the basket from the right wing with about eight seconds on the clock, drawing two defenders.
Mohammed then kicked the ball back to the left wing where Roify Otanez was open just beyond the arc. Roify calmly stepped into his shot and swished the trey, with the ball falling through the hoop with less than five seconds to go.
“It was a great win for both the city and our players,” said Castro of the dramatic victory, which reportedly was the first triumph by a CHS boys basketball team over Everett since 1988 (though it should be noted that the schools did not play each other for almost all of that time frame because Chelsea joined the Commonwealth Athletic Conference in the 1990s).
“Brouk Ephrem hit some clutch free throws and once again controlled the boards,” Castro added.
The 60-49 win over Malden on the Tuesday before Christmas provided Chelsea with its best start in many years.
“I think we played a bit sluggishly vs. Malden, but good teams find ways to win,” said Castro, who is in his third season at the helm of the CHS boys program. “This is our best start since I got the job. We had a good off-season and pre-season in which the kids worked really hard. Now, we’re going to get back to work and improve as we prepare to play Boston English.”
Castro and his crew will make the short trek to GBL archrival Revere High next Tuesday evening (January 6) for a renewal of the Battle of Broadway and then will host GBL foe Medford next Thursday at 6:00.
CHS girls hoop to host Revere
The Chelsea High girls basketball team will return from its long holiday break when coach Bruce Harrison and his Lady Red Devils host Revere next Tuesday evening (January 6). The opening tip is set for 5:30.
The Lady Devils, who stand at 1-3 on the season, came up short by a score of 61-46 to Malden in their last contest before the vacation break. “We need to rebound better and stop turning the ball over,” noted Harrison, whose crew will trek to Medford next Thursday (January 8).
CHS girls track defeats Lynn English
The Chelsea High girls indoor track and field team earned its first victory of the season with a triumph over Lynn English in a tri-meet with Revere on the Friday before the vacation break at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center in Roxbury.
Junior Lilly Serrano led the way for the Lady Red Devils, who defeated English 54-29 and fell to Revere, 52-36. Lilly sped to victories vs. both opponents in both the 55 meter dash (in 7.61 seconds) and the 300 dash (with a sprint of 44.17). She also earned second place in the high jump vs. Revere and first vs. English with a leap of 4’-8”.
Taken all together, Lilly accounted for 28 points vs. both opponents.
In addition, all three of Lilly’s performances ranked among the top three of all of the GBL girls who were competing that night. (All eight of the GBL teams compete among each other on Friday evenings at the Reggie in either dual or tri-meets.)
Lilly was tied for the second-fastest time of the night in the 55 dash; her 300 clocking was the second-fastest overall; and her high jump was third overall.
Fellow junior Thania Simon also shone at the Reggie. Thania outclassed the field in the long jump with a flight of 17’-5.75”, a distance that was almost two feet further than her closest competitor among all of the GBL schools.
Thania also ran a strong race in the 300 dash with a time of 46.53, which was the fourth-fastest clocking among all of the GBL girls, to earn a second vs. English and a third vs. Revere.
Senior Dieunie Cademus also was a standout for the Lady Red Devils, taking first-place honors vs. both English and Revere in the shot-put with a toss of 25’-11.25”, which was the fifth-longest toss of the night among the GBL schools.
Senior Hazel Hatleberg turned in a superlative effort in two events. In the 1000, Hazel took first vs. English and second vs. Revere with a time of 6:37.39, which ranked as the fourth-fastest of the night. In the mile, Hazel also turned in the fourth-fastest time of the night in 6:37.39, once again taking first vs. English and second vs. Revere.
Additional point-scorers for the Lady Red Devils were:
— Ashly Damas Ruiz scored a third-place point vs. English in the 55 dash;
— Kimberly Fuentes Chavez took first vs. English and second vs. Revere in the 600;
— Katherine Benitez finished second vs. English and third vs. Revere in the 1000;
— Aly Perez took first-place honors vs. English and second place vs. Revere in the two-mile;
— Kimberly Ardona Romero finished first vs. English and third vs. Revere in the 55 hurdles and finished third vs. both opponents in the long jump; and
— Harmony Rogers added a third-place point vs. English in the shot-put.
The Lady Red Devils’ next meet vs. their GBL opponents is set for January 23 at the Reggie with a tri-meet vs. Everett and Lynn Classical.
CHS boys track topples English
The Chelsea High indoor track and field recorded its first “W” of the season with a 44-32 victory over Lynn English in a tri-meet with Revere on the Friday before the vacation break at the Reggie Lewis Center in roxbury. The Red Devils fell to Revere, 71-20. Xavier Guzman was the top performer for the Red Devil boys. He won the 600 dash with a clocking of 1:34.02, which was the second fastest of the night at the Reggie, earning him first-place vs. both Revere and English. Steven Artica took third place vs. English in the 600. Greg Ulloa took first place vs. English in the 300 dash with a time of 43.52 and David Ponce grabbed third place vs.English. In the 1000, Bryan Amaya-Yanes took first vs. English and second vs. Revere in a time of 3:15.48. Carlos Perez-Acosta took first place vs. Revere and second vs. English in the mile with a clocking of 5:31.07. Zakaria Moubtassim finished in first place vs. English and second vs. Revere in the 2-mile in a time of 13:17.37. Zakaria also grabbed first vs. English and third vs. Revere in the long jump. Aiden Rivas-Ortega finished second and Greg Ulloa took third vs. English in the LJ. Kevin Romero-Molina took first vs. English and second vs. Revere in the shot-put with a throw of 37’-9.25”. Ugali Thomas took second and Philip Robles took third vs. English. The Red Devils will engage ina. tri-meet vs. GBL foes Revere and Lynn Classical on Friday, January 23.