Revere girls hoop gets past English

LYNN – English girls basketball coach Fred Hogan saw enough of Jeanette Anderson and Jenicia Duggins in the last three years to recognize when a player is taking over a game.Now, he understands what happens when that player is on the other team.Morgan Jenkins was the unquestionable star of Tuesday night’s Revere-English matchup at the Cavanagh Gym, scoring 29 points and pulling down 17 rebounds as she willed the Patriots to a come-from-behind 67-60 win to remain unbeaten this season.”She carried them,” said Hogan, whose team led throughout the first three quarters before Jenkins – and the Patriots – asserted themselves in the final eight minutes. “She is already the league’s MVP. They don’t need to take a vote.”Revere coach Diana DeCristoforo would certainly agree.”She carried us on her back,” said DeCristoforo. “That’s difficult to do when you’re not a point guard. Duggins did that a lot last year, but she’s a point guard, and the ball’s in her hands all the time. But Morgan’s game is down low, and she still dominated. She was remarkable.”DeCristoforo wasn’t using words like “remarkable” at different points in the game. English – led largely by a group of four freshmen and Miranda Hogan – looked as if it might put some serious distance between itself and the Patriots. The group, which included Catherine Stinson, Diondra Woumn, Makayla Everette and Diedra Newson, had to play some serious minutes when some of English’s starters got into foul trouble. They held their own and then some, as the Bulldogs got through the first two periods with a 31-29 lead.”They played great,” said Hogan, “we’re starting to play like the English that won two straight league titles. It’s not going to happen this year, but I told the girls that if we had to give it up, then we’re going to have to give it up to a bona fide championship team, and that’s Revere.”English’s lead extended to 46-41 after three and got up to eight (49-41) after Stinson (29 points) hit a three-pointer to open the fourth quarter.During the break, DeCristoforo could be heard exhorting her players to wake up, telling them she was too upset to even yell at them. Jenkins connected on nine of Revere’s 11 third-quarter points, with only Gena Restiano among the others scoring.But after Stinson’s three, Revere slammed the door. Jenkins hit a basket and then Restiano hit a three, and it was 49-46. Stinson got a three on the other end to bring the lead back up to six, but Cait Caramello hit a trey, Jenkins a basket, and Marisa Parent two free throws to move Revere into the lead with 5:31 to go – the Patriots’ first lead since early in the first quarter.The teams traded baskets, with Woumn’s bucket, with 4:29 to go, giving the Bulldogs a one-point lead (56-55). It was the last time English would lead.Revere followed with an 11-2 run, scoring eight in a row before Stinson scored to stop the Patriots momentarily. By then, it was 63-58 with 1:21 left, and it was all over but the shouting.”I had to go over and thank Fred after the game,” said DeCristoforo. “You need those kinds of challenges if you’re going to do well in the post-season. They gave us a real good game. That is a real good young English team and they gave us all we could handle.””We played well,” Hogan said. “Catherine was tremendous. She got tired at the end. She’s only a freshman. You never want to lose, but a game like this, against a quality team like Revere, is a good measure of how far we’ve come since the beginning of the season.”Lashaunda Hogan helped English along with 14 points while Restiano finished with 15 for the Patriots.