Chelsea High’s basketball team improved its record to an impressive 7-1 with two victories this week, defeating former GBL rival Peabody and Commonwealth Conference opponent Minuteman Regional. The Monday game against Division 1 Peabody, now competing in the Northeastern Conference, was a tough battle throughout, with Chelsea holding a narrow 40-36 lead after three quarters. Coach Jay Seigal’s team dug deep in the final period, emerging with a 53-44 victory. Cesar Castro led the Devils in scoring with 18 points. Junior forward Joseph Rivera delivered a standout all-around performance, scoring 12 points while excelling defensively and on the boards. Junior guard Felix Crespo also had a solid two-way game, contributing seven points and leading a strong Chelsea defense. The Tuesday matchup with Minuteman was a more comfortable affair, as Seigal’s squad built a 19-5 first-quarter lead and maintained control. A 53-30 advantage after three quarters allowed Seigal to rotate his players, culminating in a 71-33 win. Rivera led Chelsea with 18 points, while Castro added 15. However, the real drama for Seigal’s team came last week, when the Red Devils learned the truth of the adage (paraphrased here for basketball relevance), “Live by the last second shot, die by the last second shot.” In the championship game of the Wakefield Christmas Tournament last Tuesday, Chelsea faced the host team. The contest was a hard-fought battle befitting a title game, with both teams trading blows. In the final moments, Chelsea executed a clutch 10-0 run to overcome a 50-42 deficit with three minutes remaining, then leaned on 6-7 center Mark Reddick for the game-winning bucket with eight seconds left. Castro scored 20 points, while Reddick added 12. The following night, Chelsea played another longtime rival, Revere, and this time found themselves on the wrong end of a clock-beating shot. The Devils led 48-47 with 15 seconds left, but missed the front end of a one-and-one, giving Revere a chance. Despite applying full-court pressure on the inbound pass (Revere had called a timeout after recovering the rebound), the Patriots moved the ball downcourt and scored a layup with 3.5 seconds remaining. “We were emotionally drained after the Wakefield win the night before and the win over Salem on Sunday,” noted Seigal. “But give Revere credit. They played very well and deserved the victory.” So overall, the five-game, 10-day stretch was very productive for Seigal and his team, as they defeated two D-1 teams (Salem and Peabody); edged a solid D-2 team (Wakefield); and then bested a Commonwealth Conference opponent. “We scheduled these stronger teams because they are the caliber of team we’ll face in the state tournament,” said Seigal, whose squad is now just three wins away from qualifying for a state tournament berth. The Red Devils have a challenging stretch ahead, with four games in eight days beginning this Friday at Whittier Tech. On Tuesday, Chelsea will host Greater Lawrence, and next Thursday they will travel to Lynn Tech for a contest that will essentially decide the Commonwealth Conference title. The Devils will return home next Friday.
Hoopmen win Wakefield tourney on Reddick shot; beat Peabody, Minuteman
