EHS Roundup
EHS girls basketball
qualify for tourney,
sets sight on GBL title
The Everett High girls basketball team soared to new heights this past week, reeling off four straight victories in six days, including a dramatic buzzer-beater, to raise their record to a sterling 12-6 and punch their ticket for a Journey to the Tourney.
The Lady Crimson Tide opened their streak of success with a 58-51 triumph over Lawrence last Wednesday that was highlighted by Senior Night festivities. EHS seniors Yemi Okhihan, Talia Mirra, Lunica Figueroa, Netta Johnson, Andrea Battaglia, Vicki Vo, Alicia Bowman, and Meghan Eugene were honored for their contributions to the EHS girls basketball program and, more importantly, celebrated the evening’s significance with a victory.
Okhihan was on fire for the Lady Crimson Tide, pouring in 24 points, including a trio of three-pointers and numerous, slashing drives to the basket that flummoxed the Lawrence defense.
Talia Riccioli reached double figures with 14 points, followed by Figueroa with six, Mirra with five, Nyomi Dottin with four, and the duo of Battaglia and Yasmine Guerrier with two each.
The following evening the Lady Crimson Tide rolled to a 51-23 rout of Northeastern Conference/Small Division rival Saugus. Mirra led the away with 14 points. Riccioli struck for 10, Johnson and Okhihan hit for six each, Guerrier added five, Haley Powers popped in four, Jasmine Harding contributed three, Battaglia scored two, and Bowman sank a free throw.
The girls trekked to Haverhill Saturday and made the long trip a worthwhile endeavor with a 39-31 win over their former Greater Boston League rival. Riccioli set the scoring pace with 12 points. Johnson added eight, followed by Guerrier with seven, Okhihan with five, and the trio of Harding, Dottin, and Powers with two apiece.
The Lady Crimson Tide then capped off their four-game winning week with a thrilling 39-37 win Monday afternoon at Salem, one of the top teams in the Large Division of the Northeastern Conference this season. The contest was a tight affair all the way, with Everett up by two at the intermission and the teams engaging in a nip-and-tuck battle throughout the second half.
The contest came down to the final minute with Salem holding a three point edge, 37-34. Riccioli knotted matters with a clutch three-pointer, setting the stage for a frantic flurry in the final seconds in which neither team could hit the go-ahead basket.
Salem had the ball with seven seconds to go when Figueroa stole the ball and, as she was going in for layup, a Salem defender tipped the ball out of bounds with 0.9 left on the clock.
An overtime session seemed inevitable, but somehow Harding got loose underneath for an inbounds pass and put the ball up — and in — as the buzzer sounded.
“It was a tremendous win for our team,” said Turner. “We hung in there and made the clutch plays when we needed them.”
Mirra had a superb game with 19 points. Johnson struck for nine, followed by Okhihan with five, Harding with three, and Figueroa with two.
The Lady Crimson Tide will close out their season starting tonight (Wednesday) when they travel to Lowell. They then will make the short trip to Medford tomorrow evening in a contest in which the GBL title will be on the line. A victory by Everett will earn the Lady Crimson a share of the GBL crown with the Lady Mustangs, who won a close contest in their first meeting this season.
If the Everett girls should prevail in both encounters, they likely will host an opening round game in the MIAA state tournament.
EHS hockey team
needs a tie in season
finale to reach tourney
The 2015 season for the Everett High hockey team all comes down to the final game tonight (Wednesday) when the Crimson Tide host Somerville in the consolation game of the Mulloy Tournament. Face-off is set for 5:00 at Allied Veterans Rink.
Coach Jason Lawrence’s squad stands at 9-9-1 and needs at least a tie tonight in order to remain at .500 and thus earn a berth in the MIAA’s post-season state tournament.
Everett has met Somerville twice this season, dropping their initial encounter, but then skating to a 1-0 victory in the rematch two weeks ago.
The Crimson Tide had an up-and-down week, defeating Brookline 4-1 last Wednesday, but then dropping a 3-0 decision to Newton North Thursday and a 4-3 contest to Salem Monday in the opening round of the Mullloy Tourney.
Ray Suppa, Marc Faia, and Chris Durkin lit the lamp for Everett in the Salem encounter in which the Tide almost pulled off a tie. The Crimson Tide trailed 4-2 in the final stages of the third period, but Faia scored to make it a one-goal affair with four minutes to go. Everett had some chances to score thereafter, but the Crimson Tide could not finish their opportunities, which included a breakaway.
“We played well against Salem, but we made some mistakes that came back to bite us,” said Lawrence, who had words of praise for the recent play of goalie Cassara Roderick, senior James Liberge, and junior J.J. McLaughlin. “We know what we have to do against Somerville and I know the team will be giving it everything they’ve got.”