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Subscribe to our NewsletterMalden: The game could not possibly have been going any better for the Malden Golden Tornadoes as they rolled along into the 3rd quarter of Tuesday night's tilt with arch rival Everett. The #11 Tide held just a 4pt lead at the half and Malden looked poised to take control of the game as their wing players started to heat up. Then along came Everett junior guard Ghared Boyce and a close game soon tilted to the Tide. Boyce outscored Malden himself in the quarter, 19-15, on his way to 37 points and a 65-55 Everett victory before a packed house in the Finn Gym.
"We had momentum and played really solid defense up until that point." Malden Head Coach Don Nally said. "Then Boyce got rolling and we couldn't slow him down. He is an outstanding player."
Malden came out of the gates ready for a fight, jumping out to a 10-0 lead before the capacity crowd could even get comfortable in their seats. Everett fought back and used their size advantage to close the quarter on an 18-4 run to lead 18-14 at the break. Both teams turned up the defensive intensity in the second quarter and the game was 29-25 Everett as the halftime buzzer sounded.
Malden was led by sophomore forward Isaiah Likely's 19 points and senior captain Mark Rogers 17 points and career high 14 rebounds. The pair kept Malden in the game throughout and, combined with junior captain Nate Ilebode's work on the glass, battled the Crimson Tide to the very end. The loss drops Malden to 3-5 on the season as they prepare to take on the Medford Mustangs in Medford this Friday night.
"We are getting very very close." Nally added. "The last two teams we played (Somerville and Everett) are both talented teams and we played them hard to the end. I like the direction our team is headed in."
