The Everett High girls basketball team earned its first win of the season just before Christmas at Haverhill, but since then the Lady Crimson Tide have been unable to recapture that winning formula.
The Everett squad put it all together against Haverhill to fashion a 41-21 victory. After a tight first quarter which left the Lady Crimson Tide ahead by a slim 9-8 margin, the Everett quintet clamped down on defense with a full court press that resulted in numerous Haverhill turnovers and limited Haverhill to just one hoop in the eight minute frame. By the time the second buzzer sounded, the Lady Crimson Tide held a 20-10 advantage.
Everett continued to apply the defensive pressure after the intermission and added to its margin, leaving matters at a commanding 33-14 after three periods.
“We played a complete game with a lot of intensity,”said EHS head coach Tammy Turner, who cited the play of seniors Kwanecha Aldridge (nine steals) and Mariana Miranda (four steals) in spearheading the Everett pressure defense.
Aldridge led a balanced EHS scoring attack with seven points and dished out five assists. Savannah Spinney and Daphnica Nazaire hit for six points each. Talia Riccioli and Yemi Okhihan added five points apiece. Miranda had four points and pulled down six offensive rebounds. Jess Wade chipped in four points and Talia Mirra and Camilla DaSilva both added two points.
However, in their four subsequent contests against non-league rivals from the Northeastern Conference, Peabody, Salem, Lynn Classical, and Marblehead ( all of which were at home), the Lady Crimson Tide fell behind early and never were quite able to get back into the game. Turnovers proved Everett’s undoing in all four encounters.
“We have to cut down on our turnovers,” said Turner, who noted that her squad committed 20 miscues in the first half of the Peabody game. “We have a number of girls without a lot of experience, so we need someone to step up and take charge of the offense. It is a matter of building confidence, and that takes time.”
Janyne Sierra and Mirra topped the scoring chart in the Peabody game with six points each. Nazaire and Mirra led the point parade with eight points against Salem. Freshman Riccioli led the way with five points vs. Classical and Okhihan tallied nine against Marblehead, sinking a trio of three pointers.
Turner and her crew were set to open their Greater Boston League schedule last night (Tuesday) at Cambridge. The Lady Crimson Tide will stay on the road, trekking to Malden Friday and to Medford next Tuesday.
EHS tracksters do well at GBL Frosh.-Soph. Meet
A contingent of freshmen and sophomores represented Everett High at last Thursday’s Greater Boston League Freshman/Sophomore Meet.
Top finishers on the girls’ side who earned individual ribbons at the meet were sophomore Yarina Pineda-Ramirez, who placed first in the shot put with a personal best throw of 24-5, and sophomore Ashley Mulligan-DeGregorio, who placed sixth in the mile in a time of 8:01.3
The Lady Crimson Tide quartet of sophomores Wendy Ralon, Victoria Thistle, Vesna Imsirovic, and freshman Djenny Lorjuste placed fourth in the 4 x 400 relay with a clocking of 5:30.3
For the boys, ribbon-winners were sophomore Anthony Negron, who placed sixth in the 50 yard hurdles with a time of 8.5; sophomore Luis Alfredo Monteiro, who placed third in the 50 yard dash with a sprint of 6.2; sophomore Edwin Gonzales, who placed third in the 600 yard dash with a personal best time of 1:33.1; sophomore Brendan Jefferson, whose toss of 37-5 in the shot put placed him second; sophomore Erik Trickett, who placed fourth in the shot put with a fine heave of 32-9; and sophomore Frank Collins, who placed fifth in the shot put with a throw of 27-9.
The boys’ 4 x 400 relay team placed fifth with a time of 4:37.8. The relay squad consisted of the foursome of sophomores Luis Garcia, Edwin Gonzales, Carlos Acevedo, and Anthony Negron.
“Many of our athletes who took part in the meet had personal bests in their events, which was great to see at this point in the season,” said EHS head coach Shelanda Irish.
The full EHS boys and girls indoor track teams’ next dual meet is set for this evening (Wednesday) when the Crimson Tide host Cambridge at 6:30.
Members of the team also will compete at the Reggie Lewis Center on Saturday at the Division 1 State Relays.
EHS girls hockey hosts Medford
The Everett High girls hockey team has three games on tap in the next eight days, beginning this evening (Wednesday) when the Lady Crimson Tide host Medford at the local rink. Face-off time is 8:00. Coach Erin Reilly and her crew then will travel to Cambridge Saturday and to Peabody next Wednesday.
The Lady Crimson trekked to Larsen Rink in Winthrop this past Saturday afternoon for their first game after the winter break. The combination of some rustiness from the layoff and a Winthrop squad (which is a co-op team comprised of girls from Winthrop, Saugus, and Lynn) that is ranked in the top 20 in the state resulted in a 10-0 shortfall for the Lady Crimson Tide.
“We just couldn’t get anything going,” said Reilly. “Winthrop kept us pinned in our own end for most of the game.” Reilly played all of the players on her bench in the final part of the contest, providing some varsity experience for her younger team members.