Basketball Sweeps Melrose; Strong Performances from Swim and Wrestling

It was an eventful stretch for Burlington athletics with dominant basketball wins, a milestone swim performance, and a strong showing from wrestling on the Lowell Holiday Tournament stage.

Red Devils Swim fell 97–72 to Reading on Thursday, but the meet still produced a major highlight. Shay Woodbury qualified for both Sectionals and States in the 100 Freestyle (50.34) and 100 Backstroke (57.53). With several weeks before their next meet in January, the team will look to build off promising early-season times.

Friday night, both basketball programs delivered emphatic wins over Melrose. The girls’ team earned a 51–39 victory, led by a career-high 19 points from Sicari, 16 points and six assists from Reilly, and a strong all-around effort from Ochi (8 points, 9 rebounds, 3 blocks).

The boys followed with a 73–43 win, powered by 29 points from Poehler, with M. Gray (14), J. Gray (10), and Kawenja (9) adding support. Burlington’s defense and rebounding set the tone. Junior varsity also fought to victory, with a score of 61–57, while the freshmen fell 49–41.

Both varsity basketball teams now sit at 2-1.

Wrestling made noise at the Lowell Holiday Tournament, with Shvartsman advancing to the finals and finishing second overall, the second-highest finish ever by a Burlington sophomore. Shvartsman, Bonnell, Tonani, Leavitt, Abreu, and Im all turned in strong performances as the Red Devils placed 21st overall.

On the ice Saturday, boys’ hockey cruised to a 5–0 win, with goals from Berardinelli, McWhinnie, Gordon, Scalia, and McElroy.

Girls’ hockey, short-handed due to illness, battled hard but fell 4–2, getting goals from Weber (first career) and Cicolini.

Monday Schedule

• Boys' and girls' indoor track vs. Melrose – 4:00 PM
• Basketball vs. Wakefield at home:
  • Freshman boys (on the road) – 4:00 p.m.
  • JV boys & JV girls – 4:15 p.m.
  • Varsity girls – 5:30 p.m.
  • Varsity boys – 7:00 p.m.