Second-half comeback spurs 70-65 win
Published January 29, 2021
By JENNIFER GENTILE
WILMINGTON—The Melrose Red Raider basketball team picked up a win over a very competitive Wilmington Wildcats team on the road on Saturday, Jan. 24 by a score of 70-65. Melrose managed to erase an 11-point deficit in the first half to take a lead they wouldn’t lose in the third and scrape their way back to victory. The Red Raiders (3-3), fresh off a win last week in Stoneham, will replay the Wildcats this Saturday at home at 11:00 a.m. for game two of their two-part series.
It was a sometimes erratic game between the two teams, but Melrose relied on offensive power from senior captain Ryan Maher (14 points) and junior guard Chris Paul (13 points). Melrose essentially proved flawless at the foul line and that made all the difference in the second half as the Red Raiders chipped away at Wilmington’s lead of 34-32 as they entered the third. Paul in particular was strong, going 10-11 on the line overall, and those points mattered as Melrose took a 41-40 lead in the third.
“Wilmington is a talented team and young, they are going to very good next year. This score could easily have gone the other way,” says Melrose head coach Dan Burns. “But it was a great team win. I thought Ryan [Maher] Chris [Paul] and Ellis [Davis] had nice games. I think we had a s ize advantage but Wilmington was skilled. We had to settle down after the first half, where it was one mistake after another. It helped that we were solid at the foul line,” he said. “Then, we had some key threes by Zac Federico and Rob Colozzo and I wish we had more.”
Melrose started the game on a fairly even note with Wilmington. Despite some great shooting from Ryan Maher (7 first half points), along with Cam Lippie and Ellis Davis, Melrose was down 16-15 at the end of the first. The Red Raiders struggled in the second half and watched as Wilmington proved they were tougher than advertised, taking leads of 25-17 and 30-21 behind a series of threes and smooth foul line shots. Melrose came up empty in the rebound game and their defense sputtered at times, giving Wilmington too many chances under the net. Melrose’s AJ Norton Jefferson had four points in the quarter and both Ryan Maher and Chris Paul remained flawless on the foul line, which kept Melrose in the game but facing an 11 point deficit. Melrose closed the gap, however, when Hooper Ward hit a shot and Ryan Maher nailed a trey at the buzzer to keep the Red Raiders down just two at 34-32 at the half.
It was the third quarter that saw Melrose recharge and come out swinging. Junior Zac Federico made a difference in the lineup, helping defense with a large amount of rebounds. Right on the heels of a Cam Lippie layup, Federico hit a three that gave Melrose their first lead of the day at 41-40. Federico was solid at the foul line to keep Melrose up 44-43 and a big three by junior Rob Colozzo put Melrose up 50-43. A handful of Red Raiders added to the offensive effort, including Ellis Davis (4 points in the 4th) and Chris Paul, who once again was 2-2 at the line and sweetened the deal with a layup to end the game in a Red Raider victory, 70-65. The guard made an impression on his coach.
“Chris just knows how to attack, dribble. Honestly, I feel like he’s the most athletic guard in the Freedom league and it’s so easy to send him to the rim,” says Burns.
Melrose has seen every team but Burlington and Wakefield so far, and those are the two teams they will close the season with after this weekend when they face Wilmington again. In this league, it’s anyone’s game. Says Burns, “I feel like this is game was a typical Middlesex Freedom League contest. Look at Wilmington and Stoneham: two strong teams that really challenge their rivals. In this case, we had to fight to the end against Wilmington because the game might have gone either way.”
This Saturday they will host round two of Wilmington at the Melrose Middle School gym at 11:00 a.m. Fans can tune in at tinyurl.com/MelroseLive
Remaining games
Sat. Jan 30, 11:00 AM v. Wilmington (home)
Sat. Feb 6, 11:00 AM @ Burlington
Tue. Feb 9, 5:00 PM v. Burlington (home)
Sat. Feb 13, 11:00 AM v. Wakefield (home)
Mon. Feb 15, 9:00 AM @ Wakefield High School
