Published February 5, 2021
By JENNIFER GENTILE
MELROSE—It was another barn burner between the Melrose and Wilmington boys’ varsity basketball teams, who faced off in round two of their two-game series on Saturday, Jan. 28 at Melrose High. Fresh off a narrow 70-65 win on January 23, the Red Raiders earned another close victory, escaping in a 60-56 win that improves them to 4-3 on the season. Up next are two games against Burlington, with the first coming on the road this Saturday at Burlington High at 11:00 a.m.
Saturday’s game was an occasion to honor their seniors: captains Andrew Beauchesne, Andrew Norton Jefferson, Ryan Maher and seniors Connor Doherty, Zach Horgan and Hooper Ward. All of them saw time and were integral in the win.
Last Saturday, the Wildcats proved to be a speedy team who refused to give up, despite falling to an early deficit of 23-9. It was a statement game for senior captain Ryan Maher (18 pts) and senior captain Andrew Norton Jefferson, who provided tough defense and came up big in the closing moments of the game. Both he and teammate Zac Federico offered blistering defense and were clean on the line to help deliver the final 58-56 score.
Melrose seniors delivered in the first behind the early efforts of Ryan Maher, Andrew Norton Jefferson, Andrew Beauchesne and Connor Doherty which helped give Melrose a giant 23-9 lead in the first. Soon after, Wilmington would outscore Melrose, 10-2, behind a series of three pointers. Baskets by Melrose’s Ellis Davis and Zach Federico kept Melrose ahead, and a nice steal by Norton-Jefferson resulted in a Chris Paul layup. Fighting back against a renewed Wildcat offense, Melrose’s Ryan Maher hit two shots on the foul line to keep the Red Raiders ahead by just three at the half, 36-33.
Wilmington would tie it up 40-40 shortly after the half on a Willie Stuart layup. Melrose sputtered at times against the Wildcat fast breaks but maintained a small leads of 44-40 and 46-42 behind baskets from Zach Horgan, Ryan Maher and Chris Paul, who closed out the third with a layup. It was a fast-paced and hectic fourth quarter as both teams battled for advantage. Wilmington took their first lead with 5:00 left in the game when Luke Murphy made it a 47-46 score.
Ryan Maher answered that with a successful appearance on the foul line and a key, three-pointer by Zach Horgan put Melrose ahead 51-47. Wilmington’s Steven Smolinsky cleared two foul shots to make it a 52-51. But Melrose’s Andrew Norton Jefferson and Zach Federico came up big in the final moments. Norton-Jefferson stole the ball to prevent Wilmington from taking a lead and later came up with a key rebound. Federico, meanwhile, deftly took a charge which turned the ball over to Melrose and helped the Red Raiders cling to a 55-54 lead. Two appearances on the foul line by Maher and another by Norton-Jefferson helped give Melrose a key 58-54 edge. Wilmington tried for a three in the final seconds of the game but Melrose’s Federico blocked it which may have helped save the game. He later was fouled and hit a basket that gave Melrose a final 60-56 score.
After the game, Melrose head coach was pleased with the win. “This was a great effort for us, and on Senior Day. It was great to get all my seniors in and they really contributed to the large lead we had in the first half. This was a great senior effort. They rose to the occasion.”
He also gave a nod to Wilmington for another competitive game. “I give this team credit, they are well coached and have a strong junior class that will be coming back next year. They played at 100% energy level, like motors, and we were forced to match it. They gave us a good message: never sleep on anyone in this league.”
He had nothing but praise for his senior Andrew Norton Jefferson’s effort. “He was all over the place for us. Tons of rebounds, maybe close to 20, a lot of blocks and he was just diving on the floor. I think his football mentality kicked in. He kind of carried us on his back and was key to victory.”
He also was quick to highlight the work of Ryan Maher and Zach Federico. “Both were so strong inside. And this is Zach’s first year getting time as a varsity player and he shows such composure, especially on the foul line.”
Melrose has another competitive rival on the horizon: Burlington. Melrose will play two consecutive games against the Red Devils, a competitive team with three wins to the season already. Melrose will travel to Red Devil territory on Saturday for an 11:00 a.m. battle.
