Boys hoop earns hard-fought victory on the road against Winchester

DE’ARI BURTON (21 pts, 4 reb, 3 ast) fights through contact for an and-one during Wakefield’s 50-48 win over Winchester on Tuesday night. (Dan Pawlowski Photo)

By DAN PAWLOWSKI

WINCHESTER — The Wakefield High boys’ basketball team held off a tough Winchester squad on the road Tuesday, closing out the Red and Black late in the game for a 50-48 victory. The Warriors improved to 6-1 with the win.

Wakefield was led by senior captain De’Ari Burton who finished with 21 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists. His tough bucket through contact put the Warriors up 49-46 with 10 seconds left. After Winchester hit two free throws, sophomore Jack Millward (12 pts, 9 reb, 2 ast) went 1-of-2 from the line and the home team missed a long buzzer-beater for the win, a shot that somehow nearly went through but the visitors survived. 

In a tough, physical matchup between two surefire playoff teams, it was Wakefield who had the advantage after one thanks to a balanced attack and stifling, aggressive defense. Millward had 5 in the frame including a long-range 3 and Burton had 4 on two strong moves to the hoop. 

Junior Matt Beaver (10 pts, 4 reb, 3 blk) had a strong all-around game starting in the 1^st when he hit a triple and found frontcourt mate, junior Jackson Fitzpatrick (2 pts, 7 reb) on a sweet feed over the top as the Warriors led 14-7 after the first.

The game opened up in the 2^nd and Winchester found a groove in the paint and in transition but the Warriors still led 26-24 at halftime. 

Burton put up 8 in the 2^nd quarter as he stayed aggressive and led the offense, especially early in the frame when he scored Wakefield’s first 7 of the quarter ending on an impressive and-one to force a Winchester timeout.

The Red and Black went on a 6-2 run to close the half but Wakefield responded well in the 3^rd to maintain the lead at 39-36 going into the final quarter. Wakefield got a good spark from senior Connor Mauriot in the 3^rd. He hit a corner 3 on a nice find from Millward to reclaim the lead at 31-30 and followed up with a sharp curl around a screen on the block for an easy 2, assisted by Burton. It was Burton who helped Wakefield finish strong again with another triple and another incredible and-one, fighting through contact to finish with the left, an ambidextrous skill set that has served him well through his Warrior hoop career. 

A Beaver 3 pushed Wakefield’s lead to five early in the 4^th in a game that featured plenty of intensity and “defense” chants from both benches during nearly each possession. A Millward layup off a nicely drawn up in-bounds pass made it 43-37 with about 5 minutes left. Winchester kept fighting, going on a 5-0 run to make it 47-46 with 47 seconds left, forcing a timeout from Wakefield coach Colin Halpin.

Of course, as he had all game, it was Burton who closed – his final bucket coming in the clutch as the Warriors escaped with an important win in a game that was nearly identical to the last time these two met, a 52-50 win for Wakefield last season. 

The Warriors will look to push their winning streak to four tonight when they travel to Burlington (4-5) for a 7 p.m. tip-off. Wakefield is in 1^st in the Middlesex Freedom Division with a 6-0 league record. Burlington, tied for 2^nd with a 3-3 league record, is coming off an impressive 10-point road win over Belmont on Tuesday night.