Warriors post second straight victory, rout Spartans 74-51
BRIAN DICKEY, a senior guard, scored a game high 22 points as the Spartans had no answer for him last night. Stoneham also had no answer for many of the other Warriors player as well as Wakefield rolled to a 74-51 triumph. (Donna Larsson File Photo)
By DAN BYRNE
STONEHAM—The Wakefield Memorial High School varsity boys’ basketball team headed to Stoneham on Tuesday evening to take on the Spartans and looking to make it two wins in a row after having knocked off Watertown in its previous game.
Things went the Warriors way on Tuesday at Stoneham High School as they knocked down five first half three pointers and shot 15-for-24 from the free throw line on the night as they took down the Spartans by a final score of 74-51.
Head Coach Brad Simpson enjoyed watching his team perform up to their capabilities.
“It was a good win,” the coach said after the game. “(The) Guard play was very good all around. This was a big win. The kids are feeling good, they’re playing well.”
The first quarter was all Warriors as the Spartans came out in a 2-3 zone defense to which the Warriors responded by moving the ball around the perimeter and finding open shots from long distance. After one quarter of play Wakefield led by a 20-7 margin.
Junior John Miller got the start at the small forward spot for Wakefield and through his offensive production, he proved why he got the nod to start.
He wasted no time getting warmed up as he knocked down three-pointers on the first two possessions of the first quarter for Wakefield. Miller was on fire from long range in the first but also didn’t shy away from taking the ball to the basket and finished with 12 points in the game.
“That got us kind of going a little bit,” Simpson said.
Senior captains Chris Calnan and Brian Dickey led the way from the backcourt once again for the Warriors. The two captains were fantastic again on Tuesday as Dickey netted a game high 22 points and Calnan added 12.
Senior MJ Urbano got some playing time early in this game and made the most of it, harassing the Stoneham guards with his signature defense as well as joining in the first quarter three-point parade as he sank one from downtown.
“MJ came in the first half, hit a three, (and) grabbed a couple of rebounds,” Simpson said.
Elijah Nardone had hot shooting hand early as well and impressed with his time on the floor. He had five points, including a three pointer.
“E. gave us a nice little boost there. (He) came in hit a three,” said the coach.
Not only were the Warriors shooting the ball well, but when they did miss, their front court did a great job boxing out and crashing the boards on either end. Junior Tighe Beck was a beast on the glass for the Warriors. He had 13 points, six of which came on offensive rebounds.
It was an offensive display Coach Simpson would like to see his team bottle up and ration off for the rest of the year as nearly everyone got involved in the action. It was a performance that can speak to the depth of this year’s Warrior team as Simpson’s task becomes finding the hot hand each night.
Stoneham made some adjustments in the second quarter after being torched by Wakefield’s outside shooting in the first. The defense matched up man to man and extended the pressure full court and Wakefield had to switch up its plan of attack.
From the second quarter on, it was Dickey’s show. He had nine points in the second quarter as the Spartan defense had no answer for Wakefield’s senior captain. Stoneham had its best quarter of the game in the second as it outscored Wakefield 18-14 and cut the Warriors’ halftime lead to just nine points at 34-25.
In the third quarter, Wakefield turned up the defense and held Stoneham to just 11 points. Wakefield was able to extend the lead to 12 points as its entered the final quarter up 48-36.
Up by 12 but still not out of the woods, the Warriors took the play to Stoneham in the fourth quarter and came home with the win as they ran away with this one in the end.
“We were able to put the pedal to the metal the last period and that was nice to see,” said the coach.
Dickey added nine more points in the fourth and Beck recorded six in the final quarter. The team shot 8-for-9 from the free throw line in the fourth and made sure there was no letdown late in the game as they won this one going away, the final score being 74-51.
Simpson made it a point to highlight some performers who impressed last evening.
“Tighe Beck was the first name to come to mind. Zach Price plays like a veteran, he’s a sophomore,” Simpson said.
The win is the Warriors second since the calendar changed making them 2-0 in 2015 and 3-4 overall on the season.
“It’s our second win in our conference which is big,” Simpson said. “We’re 2-0 in our conference. We have a home game Friday night. We haven’t been home in two weeks.”
Friday evening the boys’ return home to the Charbonneau Field House as they look to take down Wilmington for their third straight win. The game time is at 7 p.m.
Simpson feels optimistic, “If we get a win Friday night, we’re in the hunt.”
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WAKEFIELD 74, Stoneham 51
At Stoneham High School
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WAKEFIELD (74) — Dickey 8 6 22; Beck 4 5 13; Calnan 5 1 12; Miller 5 0 12; Urbano 1 0 3; McKenna 1 0 2; Nardone 2 0 5; Nadeau 0 0 0; Price 0 2 2; Auld 1 1 3. Totals 27 15 74.
Stoneham (51) — Rock 1 0 2; S.Rhuda 0 2 2; Divirgilio 0 0 0; Oliphant 0 0 0; Macura 2 3 8; Marino 1 0 3; J.Rhuda 0 0 0; Grace 0 0 0; Mooney 3 0 7; Pignone 4 3 11; Chase 7 4 18. Totals 18 12 51.
Score by Quarters — WAKEFIELD 20-14-14-26 — 74. Stoneham 7-18-11-15 — 51.
Three-point FGs — Wak, Miller 2, Calnan 1, Urbano 1, Nardone 1. Sto, Macura 1, Marino 1, Mooney 1.
