LEXINGTON — The Wakefield High boys’ basketball team traveled to Lexington on Tuesday night looking to erase a rare two-game skid against an always-tough Minutemen squad. In a tale of two halves, Wakefield’s 14-point lead in the 2nd quarter was erased by the 4th as the home team pulled away for a 69-56 victory. Both teams ended up with identical 6-4 overall records after the game.
The first quarter featured phenomenal offense from two of the best teams in the Middlesex League. There was a combined six made 3’s in the first, including four in a row as both teams came out swinging. Wakefield ended the frame up 18-14 led by 7 points from sophomore Jack Millward who finished with a team-high 20 points and 13 rebounds.
Junior Matt Beaver (9 pts, 5 reb) hit a 3 and a bucket in the paint while senior De’Ari Burton (8 pts, 5 ast) orchestrated the attack with 4 points and 2 assists.
Wakefield played even better in the 2nd quarter with their defense starting to match their offense. A drive and finish from Burton and a Millward pull-up from the mid-range forced a timeout from Lexington coach and Wakefield High alum Reggie Hobbs.
That stoppage only seemed to lock in the visitors more as senior Connor Mauriot (16 pts, 4 reb) hit two triples, first from Burton then from Millward. Millward’s tough finish off glass and corner 3 of his own forced another timeout with the Warriors holding a 32-18 advantage.
Millward, who scored 9 in the 2nd for a total of 16 first-half points, hit his second from distance to make it 35-22 but Lexington closed the half on a 6-0 run to give them some momentum at the break.
The Minutemen were a different team in the second half as they outscored Wakefield 14-9 in the 3rd to trim the deficit to 46-42 before exploding for 27 4th-quarter points on their way to an impressive comeback win.
Wakefield’s turnover problems were compounded with some foul trouble and in the end, they couldn’t turn the tide as the Minutemen gathered all momentum and never looked back.
The Warriors, 6-3 in league play, now trail Burlington (8-5, 7-3) in the Freedom Division. Wakefield has a key stretch of four away games in a row starting with Wilmington (2-9, 2-8) tonight at 7 p.m. before their next home game, which is a big one against Burlington on Tuesday, Feb. 6.