Wins over Stoneham, Winchester keep Melrose 9-4

Published February 1, 2019

By JENNIFER GENTILE 

MELROSE—The Melrose Red Raider basketball team is once again returning to playoffs after a four game winning streak, including a heart-stopping 72-66 overtime win over Winchester on Tuesday night and wins over Lynnfield on Sunday and Stoneham on Friday, January 25.

At 9-4 Melrose will look to secure more wins as they finish their Freedom League schedule in the next two weeks and position themselves strongly in the Div. 2 North bracket. 

The return of junior captain Chris Cusolito has been advantageous for Melrose, who started their winning streak of Friday, Jan. 25 when they hosted the Stoneham Spartans and prevailed, 57-32. 

LUKA VLAJKOVIC led Melrose with 15 points against Stoneham during Tuesday night’s victory. (Steve Karampalas photo)

Junior captain Luka Vlajkovic led with 15 points against Stoneham while freshman Holden Symonds had 10 for the evening. Both helped Melrose take a quick 6-0 lead while a Jay Tucci basket gave Melrose a 10-3 advantage. Stoneham’s Max Olsen hit with back-to-back three pointers but Vlajkovic delivered a basket to end the first, 16-9. 

Marino Preziosa had a big second quarter for Melrose, nailing three treys in the frame, while Harry Kelley hooked Chris Cusolito up with a shot that made it 25-16 Melrose. A Brandon McSorley basket gave Melrose a lead of 33-18 at halftime. 

Red Raider defense ramped it up in the third, snuffing out the Spartans and outscoring them, 16-3. Vlajkovic and Symonds hit back-to-back shots and Vlajkovic found Brandon McSorley in the paint to extend Melrose’s lead to 41-21. A Harry Kelley layup and Vlajkovic three-pointer put Melrose way up, 49-24, at the end of the third. 

Vlajkovic and McSorley helped extend the Melrose lead and Robert Weisen hit the final shot of the night to lift Melrose 57-32. 

Currently, the Red Raiders sit second in the Middlesex Freedom League under Wakefield, but with four Freedom League contests left on the schedule, it’s anyone’s title. 

Tonight, Melrose travels to Watertown for their second meeting with their rival Raiders, whom they beat in December. 

A highly anticipated rematch against Wakefield comes next Friday night at the Melrose Middle School gym at 5:30. Melrose will look to avenge a loss to the Warriors on Jan. 4.  

 

Middlesex Freedom

League Standings

          League     Overall

Wakefield      8-3      8-4 

Melrose        7-4      9-4 

Burlington      6-5      7-8 

Watertown          5-6      7-6 

Stoneham          1-10         3-10 

Wilmington         0-11         2-11