By DAN PAWLOWSKI
WAKEFIELD — The Wakefield High girls’ basketball team pushed their winning streak to five games with a 44-29 victory over Reading last night at the Charbonneau Field House.
Wakefield’s winning streak started on Jan. 20 against Burlington (40-33) and included victories over Winchester (53-30) on Jan. 14, Tewksbury (40-20) on Jan. 16 and Watertown (49-44) on Jan. 17. The Warriors are now 9-2 on the season and just one win away from officially punching their ticket to the Div. 2 state tournament.
Wakefield’s road win over Winchester last week featured their highest scoring output of the season so far.
Senior captain Brooklyn Calder led the way with 19 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists and 9 steals, setting the tone on both ends of the court.
Senior captain Shea Suntken (11 pts, 4 reb, 2 ast, 3 stl) and junior Emma Ickes (9 pts, 4 reb, 3 ast) also had strong games and freshmen Jayla Conley (4 pts, 9 reb, 2 stl) and Vanessa Tringali (5 pts, 3 reb, 5 stl) stepped up off the bench.
Calder’s impressive stat line began in the 1st quarter with 7 points, 4 steals, 2 rebounds and an assist as the Warriors took a 14-6 lead after one. Wakefield’s half court trap caused plenty of problems for the home Red and Black and a Calder steal followed by a 3-point play pushed the lead to 12-4 and capped a 10-0 run which would give them the momentum for good.
The defense, including starters, senior captain Jade Waterhouse (2 pts, 2 ast, 2 stl) and sophomore Kiera O’Brien (3 pts, 3 reb, 2 stl), was suffocating in the 2nd, holding Winchester to just 3 points in the frame.
The Warriors forced turnovers at a terrific rate and the offense found their range from outside as a corner 3 from Ickes and a triple from the top of the key by Calder pushed the lead to 20-6.
Wakefield stayed at it in the second half, leading 40-20 after three. Third quarter highlights included a steal and coast-to-coast finish by Suntken and an and-one from Conley in the paint.
Conley’s rebounding was especially impressive in the second half and Wakefield’s upperclassmen showed their appreciation for the younger Warriors who seemed to break out in this game. The team had their best reaction of the night in the 4th quarter when Tringali sunk a 3-pointer right in front of the bench for Wakefield’s final points.
Wakefield pushed the winning streak to three with a home victory over Tewksbury on Thursday. Calder’s run at a triple double just 48 hours earlier seemed to carry over early in this one as she got
Wakefield’s first points after a steal and a finish following a well-timed euro step. Calder finished with 7 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 8 steals against Tewksbury.
Ickes stole the show in the second half for Wakefield on her way to a game-high 13 points and 5 rebounds.
A low-scoring, slow tempo type of game saw the 1st quarter end with Wakefield up just 6-5. True to form for the Warriors, it was the defense that won the day. The home team never allowed Tewksbury to score more than 7 points in any quarter.
Wakefield’s shots began to fall in the 2nd frame. O’Brien (8 pts, 5 reb) hit two 3-pointers — one in the 1st quarter and one in the 2nd to help bust Tewksbury’s 2-3 zone.
Wakefield’s 16-10 halftime lead ballooned to 26-13 after another dominant, defensive 3rd quarter. In addition to their 15 steals, the Warriors also collected 5 blocks, 3 for Calder and 2 for Ickes.
Ickes took over with 8 points in the 3rd. She outworked Tewksbury’s forwards on the block and displayed her top-notch footwork and post moves, carrying the Warrior offense while the defense continued to lock in.
The pace opened up in the final frame, an Ickes 3 in front of the Red Sea off a nice find from Conley starting up the 4th.
Wakefield cruised from there for another impressive victory.
Full recaps of the Watertown and Reading wins will appear at a later date.
The Warriors, who were ranked No. 18 in yesterday’s updated D2 power rankings, will travel to Div. 1 Lexington (4-6, No. 30) on Friday night at 6 p.m.