All photos in this article were taken by Jessica Li.
Striving to change their record of one win and twelve losses, the Malden High Boys Basketball team charged into their decisive game on Feb. 8, 2022, against Revere.
Malden won the tip-off, with the game off to a quick start. Senior Guard Ryan Dalencour was immediately fouled, and although he missed his first shot, he put the first point on the board with his second free throw. Less than a minute later, though, Revere shot a three-pointer, and Malden abruptly called their first timeout. After a brief discussion of plays, they rejoined the game.
Once back on the court, Dalencour quickly tied the score at 3-3. Revere upped the pace - much to Malden’s displeasure - and the score grew to 12-3 before Malden was able to shoot again and fortunately make the shot, before once again getting fouled. Malden had an opportunity to make one more free throw and the the score rose to 12-6. Their efforts to retake the scoreboard seemed futile, it seemed, as Revere made another three-point shot, and the quarter ended 15-6.
Malden shrugged off the first quarter and threw themselves into the rest of the game. Within a minute, Malden scored another two points, and even made their first three-point shot, both from Dalencour. Shortly after, senior Guard Kidus Paulos made another field goal, and the score rose to 15-13, Malden hot on Revere’s tail.
A foul shot later, and Malden had its confidence back. Revere and Malden both scored until the score rose to 17-17. A three-point shot for Malden and two-point shot for Revere later, and Malden took the lead, 20-19. With mere seconds on the board, Revere managed to sink one final three-point field goal, and led at the halfway point, 22-20.
While both teams took breaks and reassessed their plays, Malden’s cheerleading squad took the court, chanting a mantra of “We got the pride; we got the spirit; hey all you Malden fans; we want to hear it.” Partnered with impressive choreography, the team made quite the show for the fans.
Off the bat, Revere racked up another three points, immediately followed by senior Guard Ronaldo Nguyen scoring two points for Malden. Revere followed suit, scoring two points as well, totaling the score up to 29-22.
The second timeout of the game was called, and the cheerleaders chanted: “Blue to gold; white to white; come on, Malden; fight, fight.” This time, they even included a lift in their routine.
Back on the court, Revere landed yet another three-point shot, building their lead to 10 points. Malden attempted to recover with another two points, but Revere struck back with another three-pointer. The score grew to 35-24, and Malden visibly started to lose hope, not running as quickly down the court as they could. They did eventually score another two-point shot, before getting fouled by a Revere player. Both shots were missed, but less than thirty seconds later Malden was fouled again. This time, another point was gained for Malden.
Revere managed to squeeze in a final two-pointer, ending the third quarter at 37-27.
Fresh into the fourth quarter, freshman Aidan Brett - called up from JV - scored two points for Malden. Revere quickly matched that, and a back and forth in the scoring ensued, bringing the score up to 43-31. After another two-point shot and a foul line shot, the score increased to 43-35. Revere scored again, bringing back their 10 point lead. Another two points and a foul later, and Revere was up 48-35. The time almost up, Malden forced in another two point shot before calling a final timeout.
The cheerleaders chanted a simple "Let's go Malden!" combined with some tumbling. Once on the court, Revere held the ball and waited out the time, ending the game 48-37.
This outcome places Malden High School in 64th place in comparison to the power rankings of nearby regions, and will increase the incentive for the Boys Basketball team to win future matches.
