The Somerville High boys' basketball team suffered a tough 69-68 overtime loss to Everett last Tuesday night. - Photo by Kelsey Garrity

By Mike Rubin

With a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter, the Somerville High boys basketball team was on course to deliver a shocking upset. Instead, they fell in a heartbreaking loss to Everett. Guided by clutch free throws, Everett handed the Highlanders a tough 69-68 overtime loss in last Tuesday’s Greater Boston League showdown at Everett High School. The Highlanders now stand at 7-2 overall.

“It’s tough because we had them right there, and we let it slip away,” said coach Mark Antonelli. ‘We’re a young team, and we’ll learn from this and bounce back. The guys are working hard and they’re doing a great job. Even though that Everett was the bigger team, this was a game we could’ve and should’ve won.”

Led by Gustavo DeMoura and Kevin Silva, the Highlanders raced out to a 34 to 22 halftime lead before executing a strong third quarter. Heading into the final quarter, the Highlanders maintained a 53-39 edge.

“Things just kind of fell apart for us in the fourth quarter,” said Antonelli. “We made some careless mistakes down the stretch, and if we had made some big plays down the stretch, we would’ve won.”

Capitalizing on several key turnovers, the Highlanders watched a double digit lead slip away as both teams headed into the extra session knotted up.

In the overtime session, foul trouble plagued the Highlanders as Everett took advantage en route to the win.

“We weren’t finishing plays on defense and all of a sudden our lead was evaporating,” said Antonelli. “They took advantage of opportunities and we couldn’t finish.”

In the loss, Skirby Odivin led the way, posting a team high 18 points while DeMoura added 15. Also contributing was Silva with 11 followed by Johnson Thomas (nine points), Billy Bonnet (eight points) and Stanley Julce (seven points).

“It was right there for us, and we let it slip away,” said Antonelli. “We’ll learn from this experience and move onto the next game.”