FILE PHOTO
Jaylen Johnson led Classical with 14 points.
By GORDON VINCENT
LYNN — Even when his team was trailing by 13 points in the second half, Revere High boys basketball coach David Leary kept telling his players that they were still in the game. It wasn’t just idle encouragement.
The Patriots (6-7; 6-6 Northeastern Conference) rallied to stun the Rams, 57-52, Friday night at Classical High, handing Classical its first loss in conference play and keeping Revere’s state tournament hopes alive.
“It’s a huge win for us,” said Leary. “To come in here and beat a great team like Classical on their own floor is going to give us a lot of confidence going forward. We have tremendous respect for Classical and their program.”
The loss for the Rams (14-3; 11-1) probably won’t impact their quest for a North division title, but it does spoil a potential showdown of conference unbeatens on Friday in Marblehead.
“We just didn’t shoot well tonight,” said Classical coach Tom Grassa, whose team was 22-for-62 from the floor. “And we missed some open layups that we usually don’t miss. Uncontested shots that we usually make.”
Curtis High led all scorers with 23 points for Revere, while Gerald Jean-Charles added 10. For Classical, Jaylen Johnson scored 17 points, while Deontae Plouffe had 14.
A third chance basket by Edwin Solis gave the Rams a 52-49 lead with 21.5 seconds left in the game. Jean-Charles was fouled driving to the basket and made both free throws to cut the Patriots’ deficit to one point. Classical committed a backcourt violation on its next possession, giving the ball back to Revere.
Leary called a timeout, and the first option was another drive to the basket by Jean-Charles. Classical’s defense collapsed around the Revere point guard, and the ball was kicked to Marcus Brunson-Perez at the right elbow. Brunson-Perez’s 3-pointer found nothing but net to give the Patriots a 54-52 lead with three seconds left.
“I had a lot of confidence I was going to make the shot,” said Brunson-Perez. “Our goal is to make the state tournament, so this was a big win for us.”
The Rams still had a chance, but before the in-bounds pass a Classical player called a timeout the Rams did not have and Classical was whistled for a technical foul that not only resulted in free throws for Revere but a change of possession. High made one of two free throws for the technical, and Marvin Urdaneta was fouled immediately on the Revere in-bounds pass. He made both of his free throws to put the game away with 1.8 seconds left.
“Give Revere credit,” Grassa said. “They played us tough at their place earlier in the season. We ended up winning by 10, but they made it tough for us.”
Classical started the game with a 7-0 run and led by five (14-9) at the end of the first period. The Rams’ lead advanced to 11 points twice in the second quarter before the Patriots, led by High’s 16 points in the first half, got as close as four points. The Rams closed out the first half with a baseline take by Erick Solis and a 3-pointer at the buzzer by Plouffe to lead, 34-25.
A couple of baskets by Johnson opened the Rams lead to 13 (39-26) with 6:08 left in the third quarter, but Classical only made one shot from the floor in the next 8:07, allowing Revere the claw back into the game. A 7-foot jumper from the right baseline by Mass Joof closed the Patriots’ deficit to four, 42-38, at the end of the third quarter.
Revere took its first lead of the game when Jean-Charles made a pair of free throws to put the Patriots on top, 45-43, with 5:38 left in the game. Classical took the lead back when Plouffe made a big 3-pointer from the top of the key with 1:59 remaining, setting the stage for the dramatic final closing moments.
