COLIN HALPIN goes over the game plan with his Warriors in his first game as head coach of Wakefield. Halpin takes over from last season’s interim head coach Bryan Sweeney, who stepped in for 33-year head coach Brad Simpson. Simpson’s official retirement after 51 years of coaching at Wakefield High led to the hire of Halpin who most recently was an assistant at Emerson. (Brian Cusack Photo)
By RYAN MARSH
WILMINGTON — The Wakefield High boys’ basketball team was amped up to tip off their first game in almost two years with fans on Tuesday night. The crowd, albeit in Wilmington, was ready to watch these two teams scrap. The tiny yet ferocious Wakefield fan section pumped the atmosphere – a boost helpful to the Warriors who have had some big changes since their last matchup with the Wildcats.
It was the first game since the end of the 2019-20 season with fans in the seats. That was also the last season with 33-year head coach Brad Simpson, who officially retired this past offseason after 51 years with the program.
The man to fill the legend’s shoes: Colin Halpin. Coach Halpin, a Melrose native, played high school ball at BC High and later at Suffolk University before becoming entrenched in the world of basketball as a coach. He was the head coach for one season at KIPP Academy and most recently worked in the college ranks as an assistant at Emerson. Halpin’s Wakefield basketball era started on Tuesday night with a victory as the road Warriors took home a 55-46 win.
Coach Halpin and his team were ready to play some basketball as the team was called up to the line. The starters for the game were senior Owen Michaud, junior Mike Wilkinson (10 points), senior captain Jeff DiFazio (6 points), senior captain Andrew Quinn (9 points) and junior Ethan Margolis (6 points).
The first quarter started off quick, with both teams playing tough defense. The Warrior game plan was enforced by Quinn and Margolis who yelled the orders to the rest of the team as they brought the ball up. Both teams dove all over the floor for loose balls and fought hard for rebounds.
Wakefield opened up the scoring as Michaud snagged the ball from a Wildcat player and flung it up the court to Margolis who hit the layup. Wakefield grabbed the lead and hoped to protect it.
Wilkinson drilled a basket to push the lead even further for the Warriors. The defense was the bottom line for the first quarter as the game went into a timeout, Wakefield up 10-7 with 1:48 left in the quarter.
The quarter ended fiercely as tough defense from the Warriors pounded out any chance of the Wildcats putting up points as the buzzer rang. The first quarter ended 10-7 with Wakefield still on top.
Wilmington started lights out in the second quarter, immediately hitting two big three-pointers within the first minute. The Wildcats now took a 13-10 lead but were swiftly answered with two baskets from DiFazio and Quinn to retake the lead 14-13.
Wilmington failed to get anything going beyond the 3-pointers, relying on the big shots from behind the arc to drive the offense while the Warriors held strong. Wilkinson and Margolis hit some big shots to end the half as Wakefield went into halftime up 24-21.
The Warriors came out of halftime fighting hard, similarly to the first half. Wakefield was passing the ball better, taking care of the basics, and results came quickly as they put up five points early in the frame.
The quarter had some key moments, including senior Matthew Sellers bringing down a big rebound and junior John Porter scoring his first varsity basket to push Wakefield’s lead. After the Wildcats tied the game up, Wakefield called a timeout followed by a Wilkinson bucket to take the lead 31-29 with 1:28 left in the quarter.
As Wilmington pushed back once again, the Warriors pushed hard and Margolis hit a buzzer-beating layup as the quarter ended to make the score 35-29 in Wakefield’s favor.
“I’m happy with the way the guys fought through the whole 32 minutes,” coach Halpin said.
The fight heightened in the fourth quarter as an opening game win was in sight. Sophomore De’Ari Burton (4 points) scored his first varsity points with a layup and a free throw to open the quarter. Wakefield’s defense continued to play at a high level as they shut down the Wildcats.
Wakefield called a timeout with 6:02 left in the game holding a 39-34 lead. The game got scrappier as the Wildcats attempted to push back for the lead. Quinn held them off, hitting two free throws to push the lead to seven with under five minutes left to play.
The Warriors were pressing their lead further, but the game was not yet out of reach for Wilmington until DiFazio and senior Sean Russell had two key fastbreak scores to put them up by 13 with two minutes left to play. The Wildcats were out of reach of the win and the Warriors held on for the 55-46 final.
The Warriors left Wilmington High School with their heads held high, but with a lot left to work on.
“Although we didn’t execute our best, we fought the entire game,” said Halpin.
Wakefield still started the season on a big note, with an away victory against a tough competitor.
“It’s great getting my first win. The guys were giving it up in the locker room, but it’s really not about me, it’s about them,” coach Halpin explained enthusiastically.
As the team celebrated their victory, the focus quickly shifted to the next matchup: a Friday night home battle against the Melrose Red Raiders. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. at the Charbonneau Field House.