EHS boys basketball meets Methuen tonight in state tourney opener
The Everett High boys basketball team is scheduled to travel to Methuen for a preliminary-round contest of the MIAA Division 1 state tournament tonight (Wednesday). The opening tip-off is set for 6:00.
Coach Gerard Boyce’s squad entered the D-1 tourney as the 39th seed with a 12-10 record. Methuen is the 26th seed with a 9-11 mark.
The Crimson Tide prepared for their Journey to the Tourney with a pair of contests against highly-rated opponents to conclude their regular season last week.
Everett traveled to Beverly (which is ranked ninth in D-1) last Wednesday and, though the Tide came up short, Boyce overall was pleased with his team’s performance.
“This game was a tough road test against a very tough Beverly team,” said Boyce. “While the 87-57 final score wasn’t what we hoped for, these are the types of challenges that prepare us for the postseason. Beverly shot the ball exceptionally well, but I saw flashes of the defensive intensity we need as we head into the tournament. Our guys stayed competitive and never stopped working, even when the lead grew. Despite the loss, we saw solid individual efforts that we can build on. We’ll take the lessons from this game to help us with execution and rebounding.”
The following night Everett took on Greater Boston League champion Lynn Classical, which the week before had clinched an outright 2026 GBL crown after a miraculous comeback win over second-place Chelsea in which the Rams (who compiled a 17-3 record and are ranked sixth in D-3) overcame a 12-point deficit in the final minute.
“This was a playoff-caliber battle against the GBL champions. While we fell short, 47-41, I’m incredibly proud of our defensive growth, holding a high-powered offense to just 47 points,” said Boyce, whose squad was led by Samir King-Dacosta with 14 points and Jayden Alsaindor with nine points.
“This group’s mental toughness and ‘trust the process’ mentality turned our season around after a slow start,” added Boyce, whose squad reached the tourney by winning 11 of 13 games to overcome a 1-5 start. “We now shift our focus to the MIAA Division 1 State Tournament. After our performance vs. Lynn Classical, I’m confident we are ready to compete with anyone in the bracket.
If the Tide advance past Methuen, their next opponent will be #7-seeded Attleboro, which sports a 20-2 record. That game is scheduled for tomorrow (Thursday) evening at 6:30 in Attleboro.
EHS girls fight hard vs. Gloucester
Although the Everett High girls basketball team came up short by a score of 48-36 last week in their contest with Gloucester, EHS head coach Riley Dunn was pleased with aspects of her team’s performance.
“Nicole Damaceno had a double-double with 10 points and 13 boards,” said Dunn.
“Casey Martinez contributed eight points, four assists, and two steals to lead the team on the defensive end.
“Ashley Heath and Rosita Pineda Lun had some great minutes off the bench and made an immediate impact and lifted the energy. We just lost the gas at the end,” Dunn added.
The Lady Crimson Tide then concluded their 2026 season with a contest against Lynn Classical in which Everett came up short by a score of 48-39 to the Lady Rams, who finished in second place in the Greater Boston League this season.