WAKEFIELD — As Wakefield High winter sports teams conclude their penultimate week of the season, the power rankings for the upcoming state tournaments are coming into focus.
The MIAA releases updated power rankings every week for girls’ and boys’ basketball and hockey.
Wakefield High currently has three teams projected to make the postseason.
In non-power ranked sports such as wrestling, gymnastics, indoor track and swimming, Warrior teams are getting ready for their respective state meets.
In power-ranked sports, it’s the Warrior girls’ basketball team with the best ranking: No. 16 in Div. 2. That 16 seed is a key number in the tournament as it would mean a home game in the first round. Wakefield (14-4) had a four-game winning streak snapped by Watertown 50-42 on Tuesday night. They have two regular season games remaining, traveling to Wilmington (4-13) tonight at 5:30 p.m. and to Billerica (11-6) next Wednesday night at 7 p.m.
The boys’ basketball team is ranked No. 17 in Div. 2. The Warriors (9-8) fell to Watertown 74-51 on Tuesday night at home. It was their third loss in their last four games. Wakefield will try to finish strong in their final three games and hunt that first round home game, starting tonight with a highly-anticipated rematch against Wilmington, 7 p.m. on the road. The Wildcats (11-7) won the first matchup 58-55 at the Charbonneau Field House on Jan. 28.
Wakefield has another fun rematch on the books for tomorrow night at 6 p.m. when they visit Salem (13-3) following a triple overtime thriller on Feb. 5 which Wakefield won 98-89 behind 51 points from Jack Millward. The Warriors conclude their regular season on Monday with a visit to Beverly (13-6).
The Wakefield boys’ hockey team is ranked No. 24 in Div. 3. The top 32 ranked teams automatically qualify for the tournament. The Warriors (2-15-1) will most definitely move up following their big, 3-2 win over Div. 1 Burlington (9-7-1) on the road last night. It is often unclear how teams advance in the rankings following a win against an opponent from a different division. A more clear cut way is to beat a team from the same division, an opportunity Wakefield has on Saturday night, 8 p.m. against Watertown (5-12-1) at the Stoneham Arena. The Raiders are ranked No. 11 in D3. The Warriors conclude their regular season at Larsen Rink next Wednesday night at 6:10 p.m against Winthrop.
The Wakefield girls’ hockey team picked up a big win of their own this week, defeating Medford 3-2 on Monday night. The Warriors (2-16-1) were ranked No. 36 in Div. 2 following that win and could jump North Quincy at 35 but would have a hard time reaching the top 32 unless they can come up with a victory in the regular season finale against a strong Arlington team (11-5) on Sunday, 11 a.m. at the Stoneham Arena.
Final power rankings and state tournament dates will be announced next week.