By DAN PAWLOWSKI
WAKEFIELD — The Wakefield High girls’ basketball team honored their four seniors before an impressive 57-39 victory over Melrose at the Charbonneau Field House on Friday night. With the win, the Warriors improved to 12-3 on the season.
Wakefield celebrated captains Brooklyn Calder, Aliza Margolis, Shea Suntken and Jade Waterhouse with a pregame ceremony celebrating their dedication to Wakefield basketball. All four are four-year varsity players who have contributed to a terrific stretch of Wakefield High girls’ basketball.
“Not only have they improved on the court, but all four have really grown into leaders and captains,” said head coach Jason Pavey. “It’s a great group because they are all so different but their personalities all gel. This year especially, it has really helped our team chemistry. We have a lot of new players and the way those four have helped bring them along is a huge reason for our success so far.”
Margolis, who has missed the season with an injury, was able to get into the official stat book this year with a ceremonial layup before being subbed out to cheers, making it possible for all four seniors to contribute in the win.
Suntken led Wakefield with 13 points and added 5 rebounds and 2 steals. Waterhouse finished with 11 points and a game-high 6 assists. Calder (2 pts, 4 reb, 2 stl) who battled foul trouble all night after a couple questionable calls, still affected the game, especially on the defensive end in the second half as the Warriors pulled away.
A packed, bipartisan crowd created an electric environment from start to finish as both teams played with terrific energy from the jump.
Wakefield took a slim, 12-9 lead after one quarter with Suntken setting the tone on 4 points and 4 rebounds.
Both teams were clicking in the 2nd quarter, moving the ball well and hitting shots.
Junior Emma Ickes (7 pts, 4 reb, 2 ast) made her presence felt in the paint, finding Waterhouse on a cut for a layup and later finishing an and-one with a made free throw to make it 21-13.
Suntken followed with an and-one of her own on the break for 3 more points but Melrose did a nice job of keeping pace as the first half ended 27-21.
Although the Warriors were up to start the 3rd, Melrose was close enough to make the home team uncomfortable. Wakefield would either let the visitors back into it, or they would take complete control.
The Warriors chose the latter — thanks in large part to these seniors who know what it takes to win.
“They have been in a ton of big games and have so much experience,” said Pavey. “There’s not a lot of situations or scenarios on the court that they haven’t seen. We’ve been in a lot of close games this year. When it seems a little stressful, we break the huddle and they come out on the floor smiling and laughing. There’s a quiet confidence about them that has helped make this year’s team tough to play.”
That confidence was on full display in the second half as the Warriors pulled away, their trademark defense setting the tone from the start of the 3rd quarter.
Waterhouse hit a layup after a nice drive and later made another great play for a teammate as she did all game, hitting Conley down low for an easy bucket and a 31-23 lead.
Sophomore Kiera O’Brien made multiple hustle plays including a second chance basket and after Melrose made a mini run, Suntken’s up and under pushed the lead back to eight.
Baskets from Suntken, Conley and O’Brien surrounded strong defense as the Warriors ended the 3rd up 42-30.
Wakefield finished strong in the 4th, a Waterhouse and-one and Suntken coast-to-coast 2 the highlights as the team cruised to another win, their eighth in their last nine games.
Wakefield pushed that to nine of their last 10 when they defeated Stoneham 36-23 at home on Tuesday night. The Warriors have now won eight in a row against Middlesex League opponents.
A defensive battle against a Spartan squad that tried their best to slow it down, this game featured another strong second half by Wakefield to turn a 16-11 halftime advantage into a comfortable 13-point victory.
Calder led the way with a game-high 13 points, 5 rebounds and 2 blocks. Freshman Jayla Conley also had a phenomenal two-way game with 8 points, 7 rebounds and 3 steals. Ickes chipped in a game-high 4 assists and 3 blocks, 3 points and 7 rebounds.
The Warriors, now 13-3 with four games to go, were ranked No. 17 in Div. 2’s latest power rankings released on Tuesday before the Stoneham win. The team will want to finish strong so they can try to earn a home game in the tournament. The top 16 get to play their first round games at home.
To accomplish that, Wakefield will certainly turn to the leadership of their four seniors. It’s a home stretch that they will be completing for the fourth time after all.
“ We’re in the middle of it right now, but there will be a time when those four can look back and be really proud of themselves and the standard they set for this program,” said Pavey.
The Warriors travel to Billerica (8-6, No. 23 in D2) tonight at 7 p.m. and then Burlington (9-7, No. 27 in D2) tomorrow night at 5:30 p.m. They conclude the regular season with a final home game against Watertown on Feb. 11 and a road matchup against Wilmington on Feb. 13.