EMMA QUINN follows through on a 3-pointer in front of the Wakefield bench during the North Reading Holiday Tournament. The sophomore had 10 points in the championship game.(Dan Pawlowski Photo)
By DAN PAWLOWSKI
NORTH READING — The Wakefield High girls’ basketball team emerged victorious from a four-team Holiday Tournament hosted by North Reading High on Monday and Tuesday night. The Warriors beat Danvers 48-32 in the first game before cruising past North Reading — who had defeated Revere in their first matchup — by a score of 55-27 in the championship game.
Two Warriors were named to the six-player All-Tournament team: Senior captain Ashlee Purcell and junior captain Emma Shinney. Purcell was also named Tournament MVP.
“The tournament was a good test for us,” said Wakefield head coach Jason Pavey. “You always want to see how you stack up against other teams from leagues that are on par with the Middlesex League. We got to play two really tough, well-coached teams in Danvers and North Reading.”
Wakefield moved to 6-0 with those two wins. They have outscored their opponents by an average of 52-31. They have held five of their six opponents to under 35 points.
As they did against the Falcons, the Warriors wasted no time in setting the tone against the Hornets in the championship on Tuesday night, jumping out to a 9-2 lead a forcing a couple of early NR timeouts called to try and slow the momentum.
Shinney’s first of six dazzling assists came on a sharp pass on the run to find sophomore Emma Quinn who scored her first two of 10 points on the night. An and-one and made free throw from Purcell (game-high 15 points) made it 5-0 and the Warriors were off and running, forcing turnovers with their havoc defense and scoring in transition.
“Sometimes when you play a team you don’t have a lot of experience against, there’s a little feeling out process,” said Pavey. “Our goal in both games was for us to set the tone and tempo, not adjust to them. Start fast right from the jump. I thought we did that and kept our foot on the gas the whole time.”
The Warriors certainly accomplished that against the Hornets, leading 29-14 at the break before a dominant 3rd quarter in which they only allowed 4 points, all but sealed it. The starters watched most of the final quarter on the bench.
Wakefield’s relentless breakneck pace isn’t a gameplan – it’s an identity; one that they maintain for a full 32 minutes, thanks in large part to a deep team. The Warriors had nine players score in this one. In addition to Purcell and Quinn they got scoring from junior Mia Forti (7), freshman Brooklyn Calder (6), senior captain Hannah Hill (5), senior Emma Greatorex (5), Shinney (3), sophomore Savannah Cummings (2) and freshman Aliza Margolis (2).
Aside from the buckets, all 11 in Wakefield’s rotation hustled defensively and worked hard for rebounds and loose balls.
Shinney’s third highlight-reel assist in the first half came on a dart to a cutting Purcell whose finger roll gave her 13 first-half points.
The 3rd quarter started with some fireworks as North Reading’s Brianne Slattery hit a 3 on their first possession to wake up the Hornet faithful. Quinn responded immediately with a triple from the top of the key. Then, Shinney had another great dish, this time to Cummings down low for a 34-18 lead.
Calder had a nice drive and 2 to extend the lead and after Cummings had her first of two blocks in the half, Shinney swished a 3 to make it 39-18.
Hill scored the final bucket of the half again from Shinney who lofted a pass into a perfect spot for Hill to catch and lay it in.
Often, teams with a 24-point lead after three quarters, will end up losing the 4th as the starters head to the bench. That didn’t happen to the Warriors who completed a full, four-quarter victory, winning the final frame by a count of 13-9.
That’s in large part because Wakefield doesn’t have many players who qualify as “reserves.”
“Our biggest strength is our depth,” said Pavey. “We have a lot of kids who can play the style we want.”
Greatorex scored her 5 points in the 4th with two great shots, the first from the mid range and the second a corner 3 that ripped through the net in front of Wakefield’s celebrating bench.
As the buzzer sounded, Wakefield took some time to celebrate as a group. The Warriors know by now that winning is fun. It’s a feeling they intend on chasing throughout the season.
“Overall, we’re obviously happy with the start,” said Pavey. “We tried to break down the season into chunks and our goals were to defend our home court (we’re 3-0) and win the Holiday Tournament. Next up is a tough stretch run where we have a lot of road games.”
Wakefield’s next two games are on the road against strong teams in Arlington (Jan. 4, 7 p.m.) and Burlington (Jan. 7, 5:30 p.m.).
“That’s another challenge,” said Pavey as the Warriors lock in on their league schedule. “But our team is pretty good at enjoying the moment and then turning the page. They’re still hungry.”
