Boys win Davenport tourney to earn a spot in state tournament
The Everett High boys basketball team, which began the weekend with an 8-10 record and needed to win both its season-ending games in order to punch their ticket for a Journey to the Tourney, responded to the backs-against-the-wall challenge with a pair of clutch victories in the Dudley Davenport tournament at Sharon High School to win that tourney and qualify for the Division 1 State Tournament.
In the tourney-opening game on Monday, the Tide topped Walpole, 63-52. Jevaun Berberena led all scorers with 15 points. Geordiell Luna also reached double figures with 11 points, while Cristian Vasquez contributed eight points, showcasing a balanced Everett offensive effort.
That win advanced the Tide to the championship game against the host Sharon squad, with Everett prevailing in a hard-fought battle, 64-58. Luna turned in a superb offensive effort, hitting for a team-high 22 points, and just missed a double-double with nine rebounds. Two other Crimson Tide, Henrique Pinto (14 points) and Cristian Vasquez (11 points and five steals), also made big-time contributions.
Berberena was impactful in this win as well, hitting for seven points and dishing out 10 assists.
“I also want to give a special shout-out to Jayden Alsaindor, who played 30 out of 32 minutes with relentless defensive pressure and contributed eight points,” said EHS head coach Gerry Boyce. “His effort was crucial for our success, and we need that kind of defensive intensity as we look towards the post-season.
“The championship game against a well-coached Sharon team was a true test,” noted Boyce. “It had its ups and downs, but we emerged victorious. It was a fantastic tournament and a great opportunity for our team. We look forward to playing hard in the post-season state tournament.”
As of the Independent’s deadline, Boyce and his crew, who are seeded 38th in Division 1, were taking on 27th seed B.C. High (8-12) in the opening round of the tourney this past Monday night.
“I played against B.C. High coach Bill Loughnane when I was a player at East Boston High from 1986-90 and he was coaching at South Boston High.” said Boyce of Loughnane, who has more than 500 career victories. “Now to be coaching vs. a legend is epic and I’m honored. He’s an awesome coach and my high school coach, Mike Rubin, said coach Loughnane was an outstanding player as well as a coach. There’s plenty of work ahead for us in a short window, with just one day to prepare. But we will give a valiant effort.”
If the Crimson Tide defeat the Eaglets, they will advance to take on #6 Andover in the Round of 32.
EHS girls close out 2025 season with win at Marblehead
The Everett High girls basketball team put it all together in their final game of the season to earn a 59-51 victory at Marblehead this past Thursday evening.
“We ended with an incredible team win,” said EHS head coach Riley Dunn. “The girls left everything on the floor and played some beautiful basketball. I’m extremely proud of their resilience after a tough game on Tuesday — they bounced back and played our best game of the season — sending the seniors off with a well-deserved win against a tough, playoff-bound Marblehead team.”
Senior captain Emilia Maria Babcock concluded her stellar Lady Crimson Tide career with a superb performance, pouring in a game-high 24 points. “Emilia also played tenacious defense and led numerous fast breaks,” said Dunn.
Katerin Landaverde started the game and provided huge energy for the Tide, reaching double figures with 10 points and making some big defensive stops down the stretch.
JuJu Rivera ran the offense with poise and confidence and also netted 10 points. Juniors Nicole Damaceno and Casey Martinez made nice contributions with six points apiece,
“Our defense was tenacious and never let up,” said Dunn. “We really excelled on our help defense, which we have been working on all year. We controlled the pace and continued to push the ball up the floor quickly to set up our teammates who ran the floor all game long. Great passes, solid decision-making under pressure, and just some really beautiful, unselfish team basketball was played. I’m so proud of these ladies.”
Last Thursday, the Lady Crimson Tide dropped a 60-30 decision to Lowell. Senior captain Emilia María Babcock topped the scoring column with 11 points. Teammates Juju Rivera and Nicole Damceno were perfect from the free throw line, shooting 4-for-4 and 2-for-2 respectively.
Last Tuesday the Tide trekked to Gloucester and came up on the short end of a 59-28 decision. Babock once again hit for double-figures with 10 points and Casey Martinez added eight.