REVERE — It was a game befitting its importance. There was lots of stifling defense, some improbable shots and a fair amount of girls skidding along the floor chasing loose basketballs.
Neither team broke 40 Thursday night at the Roland Ferullo Gym, but the Lynn English girls basketball team ended up one point better than Revere, 38-37, to take over the top spot in the Greater Boston League. The Bulldogs had been in a three-way tie with the Patriots and Lynn Classical.
“We just had to grind it out,” said English coach Travonne Berry-Rogers. “That was one very tough team we played.”
In the end, both coaches credited tight defense for the lack of scoring
“I thought that was our best defensive game of the year,” said Revere’s Chris Porrazzo. “I was really proud of the girls. We really fought hard. It’s a shame for us that we couldn’t come away with the win.”
“We pride ourselves on our defense,” Berry-Rogers said. “We’re going to play hard the whole game.”
Though English jumped out to a quick lead in the first quarter (13-5), thanks to a balanced scoring attack, Revere got right back into the game by the middle of the second period thanks to a 12-0 run, punctuated by a three-point basket by Carolina Carvalho-Bettero (nine points). From then on, the game was a dogfight.
English, which had fallen behind in the late stages of the half, rallied by the end, and a basket by Jaeleigh Perry (team-high 11 points) gave the Bulldogs a 24-22 lead at the break.
If baskets seemed hard to come by in the first half, they were harder to get in the final two periods. The teams scored 13 total points in the third quarter, seven by English and six by Revere.
Going into the final quarter with a three-point lead (31-28), English worked on padding it and did just enough to salt away the win. Five straight points by Perry plus two free throws by Makenzie Acevado (eight points) were countered by only five points by Revere and with 3:03 remaining, it was 36-29, English.
But Revere wouldn’t go away that easily. Baskets by freshman center Belma Velic (11 points) and Carvalho-Bettero closed the gap to three, and when Haley Beloise (game-high 12 points) sank another one with 39 seconds left, it was suddenly a one-point game (38-37).
An invisible lid descended on both baskets after that, with Belloise able to get one shot off right before the buzzer. It sailed wide, however, and when English came down with the rebound, that was the game.
“I thought Perry and (Alisha) Jean (7 points) both played well in the post,” said Berry-Rogers. Also having a strong game, especially after she was saddled with her fourth foul midway through the final quarter, was point guard Rosie Chheang, who poured in nine points.
Revere (7-5) plays on the road at Medford Tuesday (7).
English (9-2) travels to Somerville Tuesday (6:30).
