During a seven-day stretch, the Chelsea High boys basketball team captured three victories in four contests, pushing their record to 14-2. Two of those games were non-league matchups against former Greater Boston League opponents Revere and Peabody, now members of the Northeastern Conference. For CHS head coach Jay Seigal, a former Red Devil himself with extensive coaching history at the school, these contests offered a nostalgic connection to the program’s past. “These non league games are important for us because they will get us ready for the state tournament,” said Seigal, noting that his Division 4 Commonwealth Conference squad will compete in Division 2 during the state tournament.
On Tuesday night, Chelsea dominated league rival Greater Lowell with a decisive 67-40 victory. The Red Devils controlled the game throughout without facing any serious challenge. Leading the balanced offensive effort was Cesar Castro with 17 points, followed by Mark Reddick’s 14, Joseph Rivera’s 10, Felix Crespo’s 9, and Troy Crosley’s 8 points.
Another league contest against Minuteman Regional on Friday also proved relatively straightforward, despite a closer first half in which Chelsea held a 26-21 edge. The Red Devils’ defensive intensity increased significantly after intermission, limiting Minuteman to just 12 points over the final 16 minutes for a 53-33 win. Castro extended his 1000-plus career scoring total with 20 points, while Rivera added 12 and Reddick contributed 10.
The non-league game at Peabody on Sunday presented a more formidable challenge, which Seigal described as “one of our best games of the year”. Chelsea prevailed over the Division 1 Tanners 67-52, leading at all four quarters. The Red Devils’ advantages were slim early—14-11 after one quarter and 29-24 at halftime—suggesting Peabody, seeking a postseason tournament spot and aiming to avenge an earlier Chelsea victory, would mount a serious challenge. A flagrant foul committed by Peabody late in the first half when Castro was attempting a layup near the basket galvanized the Red Devils. Chelsea emerged from halftime with renewed intensity, outscoring Peabody 25-14 in the third quarter to build a commanding 54-38 lead before securing the victory. Castro delivered what Seigal called “an incredible performance”, finishing with 29 points to lead all scorers. Crosley also excelled, posting 16 points in one of his finest performances of the season.
Last Wednesday’s matchup against Revere, Chelsea’s long-time Beach City rival, represented a rematch of an earlier contest the Patriots won by one point. Chelsea had attributed that previous loss to a letdown following their Wakefield Christmas tournament championship, which included victories over Wakefield and Salem, the latter having defeated Revere. Since Peabody—whom Chelsea has beaten twice—has also defeated Revere twice, the Red Devils appeared positioned to secure revenge. Revere entered the game with only one other victory on its record. Yet circumstances conspired against Chelsea. Whether attributable to what Seigal later characterized as “Revere seems to match up well against us.”, or simply Revere’s heightened motivation against its old rival, the Patriots controlled the contest. Revere led 33-30 at halftime and extended its advantage to 16 points after three quarters. Chelsea fought back furiously in the final eight minutes, launching a barrage of three-pointers from well beyond the arc and connecting on six attempts. Freshman Sammy Mojica accounted for three of those treys while scoring 11 points overall, and Rivera added two more long-range shots. The comeback fell short, however, as Revere held on for a 73-66 victory, handing Chelsea only its second defeat of the season.
With three-quarters of the season complete, Seigal’s squad aims to win four more games to finish 18-2 and secure a high seed in the D-2 North bracket, which should guarantee at least two tournament home games. The Red Devils will face Northeast Regional on Friday and travel to Shawsheen on Tuesday before returning home next Friday to host Whittier.