Boy cagers team up against Woburn

Warriors post 74-56 triumph over a good Tanner squad

Published in the January 27, 2016 edition

By JIM SOUTHMAYD

WAKEFIELD — After last night’s game against Woburn, Wakefield Memorial High boys’ basketball head coach Brad Simpson uttered an old saying, “You can’t look a gift horse in the mouth.”

While Simpson didn’t want to take anything away from his team’s effort, he knew the Warriors were fortunate in facing the Tanners without one of their top players, senior Dan Moscat, who was out with an injury.

As a result, Wakefield played a terrific team game and posted a convincing 74-56 triumph over Woburn at the Charbonneau Field House.

The Warriors are now 8-5 overall and 7-4 in the Middlesex League Freedom division with the win. Wakefield is one victory away from clinching a state tournament berth since it plays an 18-game schedule.

“That was a great high school basketball game,” said Simpson. “Woburn is a good team and we were fortunate that Moscat was out hurt. He has played for them since he was a freshman. You can’t look a gift horse in the mouth.”

Wakefield led 15-13 after the first quarter and held a 31-29 advantage at halftime. The third quarter is where the Warriors put some distance between themselves and the Tanners. Wakefield outscored Woburn, 25-13, in the third quarter to hold a 14-point lead after three quarters. The Warriors kept the pedal to the metal and Woburn (8-5) got no closer than 11 points (65-54).

The Warriors were led by effort of junior Kobey Nadeau who scored a team high 20 points and hauled down 20 rebounds. He also had several blocked shots and was immense throughout the contest.

Senior guard Corey Imbriano also found his range as he netted 19 points including five three-point shots.

Junior Alex McKenna stepped up in the fourth quarter and contributed 13 points, while junior forward Tighe Beck had a good night with 11 points, five rebounds and eight assists.

“Kobey Nadeau had a great game,” said Simpson. “Corey Imbriano has been shooting well in practice and we knew he was due for a breakout game. Joe (Carmilia) Smith gave us some nice defense and Alex McKenna stepped up in the fourth quarter. Beck had a quiet night, but did have eight assists. We had a great team effort and everyone had a hand in the win.”

Woburn junior Mat Catizone scored 20 points for the Tanners and he tried his best to singlehandedly bring Woburn back in the fourth quarter. He had eight of the Tanners’ 14 points in the game.

Sophomore guard Matt Juko scored 17 points for the Tanners with most of his production coming in the first half.

Wakefield made those players earn their points. The Warriors did a good job defending the Ludwig brothers, Dustin and Ryan, who are good outside shooters. Dustin had eight points and Ryan four. They also did a good job defending senior forward Eric Martin who scored just seven points and eventually fouled out of the game as he was in foul trouble for much of the night.

“Number 12 (Juko) can beat you off the dribble but we did take away the pitch man, Martin,” said Simpson. “Catizone made some shots but his legs may have been tiring at the end of the game. Woburn is a really good team and we were able to take advantage of them being a little shorthanded.”

Nadeau recorded a layup and then made one of two free throws. Catizone was one of two from the foul line before Imbriano canned a trey. McKenna then made two free throws to put the Warriors up 8-1 with six minutes remaining in the first quarter.

Ryan Ludwig hit a pull up jumper with 5:12 remaining then Imbriano sank his second three-point shot. Catizone made a layup with 4:17 left and Beck sank a shot inside the paint. Martin made two free throws and then Nadeau scored with 2:51 left on a pass from Beck to give Wakefield a 15-7 lead.

But the Tanners went on a 6-0 run to close out the quarter and cut the lead to 15-13 after eight minutes had elapsed. Dustin Ludwig got a hook shot to fall, Martin hit an outside shot with a minute remaining and Ryan Ludwig hit a jumper at the buzzer.

Juko got a hook shot to fall and then made a layup to put Woburn in front 17-15 with 7:07 left in the second quarter. Beck made one of two foul shots and then senior Andrew Auld recorded a basket on a nice pass from Beck to put the Warriors back in front, 18-17, with 5:41 remaining in the first half.

Juko made one of two free throws to tie the game at 18-18. Beck then banked a shot off the glass with 5:14 left to give the Warriors and two point lead at 20-18. Catizone hit an outside shot nine seconds later to tie the game at 20-all.

But Carmilia-Smith, a sophomore, sank a three-point shot and Nadeau scored from inside to put the Warriors up 25-20 with 4:11 left in the second.

Juko made back to back baskets to cut the lead to 25-24 with 2:07 left. Nadeau then drove to the basket with 1:43 left. Juko then made a three-point basket to tie the game at 27-27.

Auld then scored a layup on the fast break but was also assessed a technical foul for unsportmanslike conduct and left the game. Catizone made the two technical foul free throws to tie the game at 29-29 with 55.9 seconds left. But Nadeau got the final basket of the half with 25 seconds left to give the Warriors a two point lead (31-29) at halftime.

In the third quarter, Martin hit from inside with 7:31 left to tie the game at 31-31. Nadeau made a runners and then Martin sank one of two foul shots. Nadeau made a layup and then Dustin Ludwig sank a three-pointer to knot up the game at 35-35 with 5:10 remaining.

But Wakefield went on an 11-0 run to take a 46-35 lead. Carmilia-Smith got the surge going with a jumper with 4:42 left. Beck then scored from the baseline and then Nadeau sank a trey. McKenna then recorded four straight free throws to take an 11 point lead with 3:01 left.

Juko ended the run as he banked a shot in off the backboard.

Imbriano then took over the rest of the third quarter. He put in a rebound of a missed shot and then sank a three-pointer. After a Catizone layup with 59 seconds left, Imbriano hit a runner and then another trey to give Wakefield a 56-39 lead with 19.3 seconds remaining.

Catizone scored on a field goal and free throw with 9.3 seconds remaining as the Warriors led, 56-42, after three.

In the fourth quarter, Wakefield kept the double digit lead. Beck made a couple of baskets in the frame. Imbriano made a three pointer and Nadeau scored on a backhanded shot. But McKenna made three baskets with one of them being a three-point shot. Zach Price made the final Warrior basket with both coaches having emptied the benches in the the final minute.

Wakefield’s biggest lead of the fourth quarter was 17 points (61-44) after an Imbriano three with 6:03 remaining. The lead hovered in the 14-16 point range for most of the period until Price hit the final basket in the remaining seconds for the 18-point margin of victory.

The Warriors wrapped up the five-game home stand with a 4-1 record. Wakefield will hit the road for the first time in three weeks when it faces Stoneham on Friday night at 7 p.m. at Stoneham High School.

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WAKEFIELD 74, Woburn 56

At Charbonneau Field House

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Woburn (56) — Catizone 8 4 20; Martin 2 3 7; R.Ludwig 2 0 4; D.Ludwig 3 0 8; Juko 7 1 17; McDonald 0 0 0; Donascimento 0 0 0; Metrano 0 0 0; Villegas 0 0 0; Stachowski 0 0 0; Vincent 0 0 0. Totals 22 8 56.

WAKEFIELD (74) — Nadeau 9 1 20; McKenna 3 6 13; Auld 2 0 4; Imbriano 7 0 19; Beck 5 1 11; Price 1 0 0 2; Evangelista 0 0 0; Carmilia-Smith 2 0 5; A.Miller 0 0 0; McGunigle 0 0 0; Murray 0 0 0; Fils-Aime 0 0 0. Totals 29 8 74.

Score by Quarters — Woburn 13-16-13-14 — 56. WAKEFIELD 15-16-25-18 — 74.

Three-point FGs — Wob, D.Ludwig 2, Juko 2. Wak, Imbriano 5, Nadeau 1, McKenna 1, Carmilia-Smith 1.