LYNN — Last time the Classical girls basketball team played Revere, it came away with a 59-57 win in overtime. Wednesday’s Greater Boston League Tournament game was just as tight, but unfortunately the Rams came up just short in a 38-35 loss at home.
Classical led for a huge chunk of the game, but Revere climbed back into things — eventually jumping ahead in the fourth quarter.
“In the playoffs, if you lose you’re done,” Classical coach Tom Sawyer said. “It’s heartbreaking for the girls, especially for our three seniors because we don’t get a chance to play tomorrow. But (Wednesday) it just wasn’t meant to be. Revere hit a couple more shots than us. But I would say after two games this season, both decided by a few possessions, these two teams are pretty evenly matched.”
Despite the loss, sisters Reese and Sailor Brinkler played great games for the Rams. Reese had a double-double with a career-high 13 points and 10 rebounds while Sailor, in her last game wearing the Rams’ green and gold, had 10 points and five rebounds. Akiyah Brown (four points, seven rebounds) and Lauren Wilson (four points, seven rebounds) also played well.
“Revere started the game in a box-and-one defense and Sailor single handedly shot them out of it for us,” Sawyer said. “Reese does all the work. She gets rebounds, has a great game in the post, and hit a nice fade away jumper from the free throw line (Wednesday). Both kids, like the whole team, gave all they had.”
For Revere, Carolina Carvalho-Bettero had a great night offensively with 15 points and three 3-pointers. But the star of the night was Skyla DeSimone, who played defense on Classical’s leading-scorer of the season Ava Thurman most of the night and held her to just one point. DeSimone totaled six points — the last six points Revere scored in the win.
Things started out perfect for the Rams with the one-two punch of Reese and Sailor Brinkler. After a free throw from Reese, Sailor sunk a pair of threes to put Classical ahead 7-0. Later in the quarter, Reese grabbed a pair of offensive rebounds and baskets to help the Rams build a 13-5 lead heading into the second.
Brown and Reese Brinkler both added four points each in the second quarter, but Carvalho-Bettero almost single handedly kept Revere in the game with a pair of threes and another basket. Classical led 21-14 at the half.
Both teams traded big plays and runs in the third quarter. Sailor Brinkler and Wilson each hit threes in the frame but Revere kept pace, eventually cutting the Rams’ lead to six in the final seconds. And Carvalho-Bettero delivered in those final seconds with a buzzer-beating three off the glass to make it 31-28 Classical heading into the fourth quarter.
Before long, Alana Nelson hit another three for Revere to tie things up at 31-31 and things remained tight for the rest of the game.
But with their offense going cold in the final frame, the Rams couldn’t hang with the Patriots. DeSimone stepped up when Revere needed it, scoring six points in the final minutes to give the Patriots their first lead of the night and grabbed a game-sealing rebound to close things out.
Revere will move on to the GBL Tournament semifinals, where they’ll take on English Thursday (4).
For Classical, the shortened, delayed season comes to a close with a 3-4 record. The Rams graduate three seniors — Sailor Brinkler, Deshawna Rucker and Amelia Pedro.
“We told all the kids how proud we are of them,” Sawyer said. “What’s happening to their senior season is unfair. But they handled it like champions. They persevered, showed up to practice every night and there was no complaining. I couldn’t be prouder. That’s who they are. They persevere and they’re resilient through everything. I think that’s going to serve them very well in life.”
