After waiting 12 years, the Chelsea High girls basketball team finally has earned the right to display a championship banner inside the CHS gymnasium. Under the direction of Coach Matt LaBranche, the Lady Red Devils secured an outright Commonwealth Athletic Conference Small Division title by defeating Essex Agricultural School 63-36 last Thursday. “We knew coming into the game that if we won, an outright championship would be ours,” said CHS LaBranche. “We played with intensity right from the start and never let up.” The Lady Red Devils established themselves early, leading 17-12 after one quarter, then extended their advantage throughout the second period to reach halftime with a 35-22 lead. After the break, Chelsea put the contest out of reach with an immediate scoring surge and finished with a decisive 63-36 victory.
The Lady Red Devils’ win showcased balanced offensive production. Victoria Perez led all scorers with 16 points while Madeleine Vielmann joined the double-figure club with 11. Contributing significantly were Aneka Beqo with eight points, Shuly Sejour with seven, Khiana Binford and Lindsay Fuentes each with six, Tatiana Fontes with four, Anisia Santiago with three, and Bahiya Nasuuna with two.
When Chelsea took the floor Tuesday against Presentation of Mary—which carried a 7-2 record—they had already clinched the CAC Small crown with a 9-0 mark. Still, the Lady Red Devils sought to perfect their conference schedule, setting up an intense matchup with PMA. From the opening tip, the game proved competitive. Chelsea held a 14-13 edge after the first period and maintained their advantage throughout, though they could never create distance against a PMA team fighting to spoil Chelsea’s flawless league record before its home crowd. With seconds remaining, Chelsea appeared secure at 64-60, but PMA scored with 6.6 seconds left to make it a two-point game. The Lady Red Devils executed their inbounds play flawlessly under pressure from PMA’s full court press, with Fuentes delivering a pass to a driving Vielmann, who laid it in for a 66-62 final score and a perfect divisional finish. “It was a great game by both teams,” said LaBranche. “I was very proud of the poise our girls showed in a hostile environment to hold on for the victory.”
Fontes and Perez shared game-high honors with 14 points each. Fuentes delivered an impressive double-double of 10 points and 12 rebounds despite carrying three fouls into the second half. Vielmann contributed 11 points. Sejour dominated the boards with 12 rebounds to accompany her seven points. Carolyn Moni added six and Binford contributed four.
Standing at 13-2 overall, the Lady Red Devils will host Greater Lowell on Friday evening, featuring Senior Night activities. Chelsea also faces Pope John next Tuesday in their regular season finale.
The Chelsea High boys basketball team narrowly missed orchestrating a comeback against Everett on Tuesday night, falling 49-48 when a Crimson Tide three-pointer with 20 seconds remaining proved decisive. The Red Devils trailed through most of the contest, down as much as 11 in the third quarter, but stayed close enough to surge ahead 48-46 in the final frame before the loss. “Even though we lost, this was a great game for us against a strong Division 1 opponent as we look ahead to the state tourney,” said CHS head coach Jay Seigal, who started all nine of his seniors in two shifts as part of Senior Night festivities. “We played well at both ends of the floor, but it was our defense that kept us in the game,” Seigal added, praising Jordan Virella’s performance of 12 points.
The Everett setback represented Chelsea’s third consecutive close defeat, following a 63-60 loss to Whittier on Monday and a 64-61 loss to North Shore Tech on Friday. Felix Crespo scored 20 points in the Whittier game, which ended Chelsea’s bid for a perfect Commonwealth Athletic Conference record, while Joe Rivera netted 27 points against No. Shore Vocational, which remains undefeated. “We were flat against No. Shore,” said Seigal. “I think we had a letdown after having clinched the league title a few nights earlier against Lynn Tech.” With a 13-6 overall record, the Red Devils were scheduled to finish their regular season at Revere last night (Wednesday).