By DAN PAWLOWSKI
WAKEFIELD — The Wakefield High girls’ basketball team saw a strong season come to an end in the first round of the Div. 2 state tournament on Thursday night at the Charbonneau Field House.
The 16th-seeded Warriors and 17th-seeded Crusaders of Bishop Fenwick put on a show worthy of any state tourney classic but in the end, it was Fenwick who came out on top, 48-43.
“Not the way we wanted things to end but we’ll have some time to reflect on what was a successful season,” said Wakefield head coach Jason Pavey.
That success — which included a 15-5 regular season and a Middlesex League Freedom Division title — unfortunately still led to a tough postseason draw for Wakefield. The 16/17 seeds had the misfortune of looking ahead. The winner would travel to No. 1 and reigning D2 state champion Medfield in the Sweet 16.
Meanwhile, Fenwick entered the tournament at 9-11 but came into the field house battle-tested after competing in a grueling Catholic Central League.
That experience allowed them to keep their composure when Wakefield took a 7-point lead at the half. Propelled by CCL All-Stars Celia Neilson and Caitlin Boyle, Fenwick outscored Wakefield by 8 in the 3rd to reclaim the lead and held on through a tense 4th to seal it.
“We knew it would be a tough matchup,” said Pavey. “They play great defense and have two legit players in Nielson and Boyle.”
Wakefield was led by senior captains Jade Waterhouse (14 pts, 2 reb) and Brooklyn Calder (10 pts, 4 reb, 4 ast, 4 stl) but in the end couldn’t keep up with the clutch shot-making of the visitors.
Fenwick took a 13-12 lead after a back-and-forth opening frame that certainly set the tone in a great playoff atmosphere.
Calder led the way with 4 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists in the quarter. Junior Emma Ickes (9 pts, 2 reb) had 5 in the 1st including a 3-pointer late in the quarter that got the Warrior fans going.
Although Wakefield was down early, there was reason for optimism especially after Boyle got into some foul trouble in the 2nd, taking her out of the game for most of the half. Calder had an impressive block followed by a nifty finish on the baseline to force a Fenwick timeout with the Crusaders leading 15-14. That wouldn’t work in stemming the tide however as Wakefield ended up going on a 12-2 run to end the half.
“The inside presence going in we knew was going to be a challenge,” said Pavey. “But with (Boyle) getting into early foul trouble, you saw us jump out to an early lead.”
Waterhouse had two buckets in transition during this stretch while Calder sparked the play on both ends of the court.
Ickes and senior captain Shea Suntken (3 pts, 6 reb) took on the challenge of guarding Nielson which was ultimately a team effort. Even Wakefield’s freshmen got into the mix as Jayla Conley (2 pts, 7 reb) provided some good rebounding including a putback to make it 22-17 while Vanessa Tringali got to a loose ball and beat the buzzer with a floater to make it 24-17 at the break.
A Calder second chance bucket and Waterhouse triple extended the lead to 10 early in the 3rd, one of multiple great shots by Waterhouse who was locked in during this one.
“I thought Jade was awesome,” said Pavey. “She kept us in the game the whole time.”
Unfortunately for Wakefield, Fenwick got their game back when they got their center back, going on a 15-2 run the rest of the way in the 3rd.
“When (Boyle) came back in she went to work and then Nielson hit some back-breaking buckets down the stretch,” said Pavey.
Although Fenwick had all the momentum in the 4th, Wakefield fought until the end. A 3-pointer from sophomore Kiera O’Brien after an offensive rebound and kick out from Suntken reclaimed the lead at 34-33. That was the first of four lead changes in an entertaining 4th quarter. A Waterhouse right wing 3 made it 37-35 Wakefield but a Boyle and-one was followed by two clutch buckets by Nielson on drives to the hoop, allowing the Fenwick defense to set up and lock in on the Warriors through the home stretch.
“I thought we played a strong game,” said Pavey. “We rebounded really well and showed some fight after giving up the lead only to come back and tie it up late.”
It was a tough end to a memorable season but the Warriors can look back on another league title and immensely successful campaign with pride.