Boys’ hoop team cages Panthers in first round of state tourney

Warriors prevail in overtime thriller, 58-57

Published in the March 2, 2016 edition

By JIM SOUTHMAYD

BEVERLY — The Wakefield Memorial High boys’ basketball team wasn’t necessarily looking for a three-point shot in the last seconds of the overtime session but instead was looking to take the best available shot.

But when the open three-point attempt was there, the Warriors had the right player shooting the ball from behind the arc.

Corey Imbriano’s three-point shot with 4.3 seconds left lifted Wakefield to a 58-57 overtime triumph over host Beverly in a Div. 2 North first round tournament game last night at the Beverly High School Field House.

Wakefield (13-6) advanced to the quarterfinal round and will play on a day, time and place to be announced. The Warriors will face the winner of Thursday’s first round game between Chelsea and Salem in a quarterfinal matchup. That contest will most likely be played on Saturday or Sunday.

As for last night, Imbriano scored 15 points as he netted five treys. Two of them came in the fourth quarter when the Warriors were forced to erase deficits of six points and eight points. The senior guard also got one to fall in the beginning of the overtime session. But none was bigger than his last one.

“Corey was a little cold at the beginning of the game but he is our best shooter,” said Coach Brad Simpson. “He has the confidence in himself to take the shot. With time winding down, it was good to have the ball in his hands. It was there so he took the shot. We were looking for the best available shot and not necessarily the three. But we had the right player taking that shot.”

The Panthers (15-8) tried to get one last shot off in 4.3 seconds. But Kyle Coughlin’s half court bid was way off the mark as the Warrior bench charged the court to celebrate the thrilling victory.

“Coach (Scott) Lewis is a friend of mine and his team had a great year,” said Simpson. “They’re a very good team and their kids play the game the right way. They play hard and they keep their mouths shut. I hope people feel that we play the game the same way.”

The contest was a thrilling one throughout as neither team led by more than eight points. Beverly led 13-8 after the first quarter but the Warriors were in front at halftime, 21-20. Wakefield also led by one point, 36-35, after three quarters and the two teams were deadlocked at 50-all after regulation.

In the overtime session, Alex McKenna, who played a great defensive game, missed as did Coughlin, a senior guard.

Imbriano hit a three-point shot with 3:05 left and then senior forward Tighe Beck (a game high 16 points) sank two foul shots to give Wakefield a 55-50 lead with 2:39 left in the OT period.

But junior forward Pat Gavin hit one of two free throws and sophomore guard Luigi Derrane (16 points as well to tie Beck for the game high) had a steal and a layup to cut the lead to 55-53 with 1:59 remaining. After a miss by Imbriano from beyond the arc, senior guard Sam Traicoff (14 points) sank a jumper with 1:19 left to tie the game at 55-55.

After a traveling violation, Beverly pushed the ball up the court and Traicoff, who had been quiet for most of the game, hit another clutch jumper off the dribble with 33.3 seconds left to give the Panthers a 57-55 lead.

But Wakefield set up for last second shot and Imbriano’s trey with 4.3 seconds left proved to be the difference.

“We play good defense,” said Simpson. “Alex McKenna did a great job defending Traicoff. Traicoff still almost won the game for them scoring off the dribble.”

The Panthers’ leading scorer was held to just three points in the first half, four in the third quarter, three in the fourth quarter and four in the overtime session. That was a big key in Wakefield winning the game.

However it was Derrain who picked up the void as he had one of his best games of the year for Beverly.

Beck had 16 as well and Imbriano scored 15 points. Wakefield also got solid contributions from junior Kobey Nadeau (11 points) and senior center Andrew Auld (10 points).

Beverly forward Ryan Garrity, a senior, scored the first basket of the game as he sank a jumper with 6:38 left in the first quarter. Auld scored from inside with 5:59 left to got the Warriors on the scoreboard. Garrity (13 points) got a fallaway jumper to fall but then McKenna netted a jumper with 4:45 left to tie the game at 4-4.

Beverly got the next two baskets as Coughlin (eight points) scored on a layup and Gavin (five points) scored from the low post to put the Panthers up 8-4 with 3:28 left in the frame. But Wakefield answered with a baseline basket by Nadeau and a putback by Beck to tie the game 8-8 with 1:33 left in the opening period.

Garrity scored a field goal from along the baseline and Traicoff sank a trey to give Beverly a 13-8 lead after the first quarter.

Nadeau scored from inside the paint to begin the second quarter and Auld netted a basket from along the baseline to cut the lead to 13-12 with 5:55 left in the first half.

Gavin sank a jumper from the free throw line and then senior guard Ryan Anderson was 1-for-2 from the charity stripe after Auld picked up his third foul with 4:41 left in the second. Garrity then hit an inside shot to give Beverly an 18-12 lead halfway through the quarter.

But the Warriors went on a 9-0 run to take a 21-18 lead. Imbriano hit a three-point shot, Nadeau recorded a basket on a pass from Imbriano, McKenna recorded a jumper and Beck recorded a field goal on a pass from Nadeau to put Wakefield up by three with 23.2 seconds left in the first half.

Coughlin got a jumper to fall with two seconds left as the lead was cut to 21-20 at the break.

Traicoff scored from inside the paint to give the Panthers the lead back but Jon Miller recorded a layup with 7:22 left to put Wakefield back in front by one, 23-22.

Coughlin sank two free throws and recorded a layup but Beck hit a jumper to cut the Beverly lead to 26-25. After Gavin missed two foul shots, Nadeau got two free throws to fall down the other end to put Wakefield back in front, 27-26.

The teams traded points over the couple of minutes. Derrane hit two free throws, Traicoff recorded a layup and Derrane sank a jumper. Meanwhile, Beck scored on the fast break and Auld hit a pair of field goals.

With Wakefield in front 33-32, Nadeau recorded a runner on a pass from McKenna. But Derrane sank a three-point shot to tie the game at 35-35. Nadeau then made one of two foul shots with 2.8 seconds left to give the Warriors a 36-35 lead after three.

Beverly went on a 7-0 run to start the fourth quarter to take a 42-36 lead. Garrity had a pair of baskets as he got the offensive rebounds and made the most of the extra chances for the Panthers. He also had a free throw as he was fouled on the first field goal. Derrane then had a steal and a layup to give the hosts a six point lead with 5:06 left in regulation.

Imbriano cut the deficit in half with a three-point shot but Traicoff answered with a trifecta of his own and Derrane recorded a layup to give Beverly its biggest lead of the game at 47-39 with 3:12 left.

The Warriors didn’t quit and rallied over the next minute and a half to cut the lead down to one point, 47-46. Imbriano hit a three-point shot and then Beck scored from inside with 2:25 left. Beck then had a steal and a layup to cut the lead to one with 1:55 left on the clock.

Derrane launched and sank a trey with 1:24 left to give Beverly a 50-46 lead. But Auld got a hook shot to fall with 58 seconds left to cut the lead to 50-48. After a miss by Derrane with 40 seconds left, the Warriors got the rebound and Beck finished off the play by getting a hook shot to fall with 29.6 seconds left to knot the game up at 50-50.

After a Wakefield timeout, Beverly called time as well to set up for the final shot of the contest. But the last second bid to win the game was off the mark and Wakefield got the rebound as the buzzer sounded and the two teams headed for the four minute overtime session.

“Nadeau, Auld and Beck, they all stepped up as well,” said Simpson. “They came up big at different times. We don’t have a team of superstars but we have kids that work hard.”

The team effort was needed by everyone that played for Wakefield (that included Zach Price and John Evangelista) to outlast a Beverly team that the Warriors were evenly matched against.

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Div. 2 North

Boys’ Basketball Tournament

First Round

At Beverly High School

WAKEFIELD 58, Beverly 57 (OT)

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WAKEFIELD (58) — Beck 7 2 16; J.Miller 1 0 2; Auld 5 0 10; Imbriano 5 0 15; McKenna 2 0 4; Nadeau 4 3 11; Price 0 0 0; Evangelista 0 0 0. Totals 24 5 58.

Beverly (57) — Loreti 0 0 0; Gavin 2 1 5; Garrity 6 1 13; Coughlin 3 2 8; Traicoff 6 0 14; Derrane 6 2 16; Anderson 0 1 1. Totals 23 7 57.

Score by Quarters — WAKEFIELD 8-13-15-14-8 — 58. Beverly 13-7-15-15-7 — 57.

Three-point FGs — Wak, Imbriano 5. Bev, Traicoff 2, Derrane 2.