JADE WATERHOUSE hit 2 3’s and scored 8 points while leading the Warriors on the glass with 5 rebounds in Wakefield’s win over Arlington on Friday night at the Charbonneau Field House. (Alicen Encarnacao Racca File Photo)
By DAN PAWLOWSKI
WAKEFIELD — The Wakefield High girls’ basketball team tipped off their 2024-25 season with a 37-34 victory over Arlington at the Charbonneau Field House on Friday night.
The Warriors took a 19-12 lead into halftime and held off a 4th quarter comeback bid by the visiting Spy Ponders, leaning on a strong defensive performance to seal the win.
“The first game was exactly that and it showed but our defense really dug in and that was good to see…especially when shots aren’t falling,” said head coach Jason Pavey, starting his 8th season at the helm of the Warriors.
Wakefield’s leaders also happened to be their leading scorers in game one as senior captains Shea Suntken (12 pts, 3 ast, 3 stl), Brooklyn Calder (8 pts, 3 ast, 5 stl) and Jade Waterhouse (8 pts, 5 reb) led the charge.
Even more importantly, it was those three who set the tone on the defensive end. Calder had four steals in the first half and Suntken pressured Arlington ball handlers well, including two-time Middlesex League All-Star Louise Mueller who was held scoreless in the first half and only finished with 5 points.
Wakefield jumped out to an 11-3 lead after one quarter with that defense while Suntken did the heavy lifting on the offensive end with 6 points including an impressive and-one. She also made plays for her teammates with an assist on a Waterhouse 3 pushing the lead to 9 late in the frame.
Arlington bounced back in the 2nd quarter, especially in the paint as the Warriors dealt with foul trouble, primarily with junior forward Emma Ickes. Ickes gave the fans a preview of dominant play in the paint but a couple of early fouls kept her out of much of the game and off rhythm all night, although she still finished with 4 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks.
Leaning on some freshmen to provide valuable minutes, the Warriors maintained the lead. Jayla Conley’s first game featured plenty of impressive plays including a steal and layup on a press to end the first half.
“Offensively, we struggled to make some shots, people are still getting their legs and we got into some early foul trouble,” said Pavey. “With that being said, our bench was awesome. We played three freshmen (Molly Recene, Vanessa Tringali and Jayla Conley) and they gave us a huge boost while some of our starters had to sit.”
Wakefield will also have to get used to playing without senior captain and point guard Aliza Margolis, who will miss the season with an injury but the offense clicked the most in an 11-point 3rd quarter in which they hit 3 3-pointers from Calder, Waterhouse and Conley, each shot coming just as the Spy Ponders seemed to get within striking distance. Calder’s left wing triple came off an Ickes drive and kick to make it 22-15. Waterhouse’s corner 3 came off a dish from Suntken and Conley followed up her 3 off a pass from Calder by getting a steal seconds later, much to the delight of the crowd and the Wakefield bench.
Wakefield’s 30-20 lead after three felt comfortable again and they kept the visitors at arm’s length in the final quarter.
“Shea had a great all around game for us and Jade hit a few big 3’s down the stretch,” said Pavey.
Arlington never quit, but their comeback came in the last two minutes and they hit a buzzer beater to account for the final score.
In the end, the Warriors certainly have more levels to reach, but starting off the season at 1-0 is always the goal.
“Overall, it was a gritty win,” said Pavey. “We’re looking forward to improving before heading into winter break.”
Wakefield will have two games — both on the road — this week to accomplish that goal before getting a week off. They travel to Woburn tomorrow night and then to Melrose on Thursday night. Both games will tip off at 7 p.m. Woburn (1-0) started their season with a 51-43 win over Stoneham while Melrose (0-1) fell to Belmont 70-21 in their first game.
