JACK MILLWARD scored 35 points on Saturday in a road, Div. 2 first round matchup against Doherty. (Alicen Encarnacao Racca Photo)
By TYM BROWN
WORCESTER — The 23rd-seeded Wakefield boys’ basketball team came up short in a 75-67 loss against 10th-seeded Doherty Memorial on Saturday in the first round of the MIAA Div. 2 tournament. The Warriors finished their season with a 14-8 record and certainly have a lot to look back on and be proud of throughout this year.
As for their final game, the result may want to be forgotten, but the immaculate effort put together by Warriors’ star sophomore guard Jack Millward was surely one to remember. Millward posted a career-high 35 points while hitting 12 of his 17 shot attempts along with five of his seven attempts from beyond the arc.
Coming into this game, it was a point for the Warriors defensively to cut off all driving lanes of the Highlanders and force them to make contested jump shots. Doherty was clearly welcoming of the challenge though as they seemed to shoot at will from the perimeter in the first quarter. Wakefield looked to be in a natural state as well to start out the game, taking an opposite approach to their opponent, as they seemed determined as an offensive unit to get to the rim. This came with some hiccups in the early goings as the Warriors seemed to be taken aback by strong man- -to-man defense from the Highlanders, turning the ball over on three of their first eight possessions. This caused the Warriors to fall behind 7-3 after a triple fell through for Doherty junior Jamel Walker.
Wakefield would get going soon after that as their guard tandem of Millward and senior captain De’Ari Burton got accustomed to the pressure. The backcourt duo both found their way to the rack to tie the game at seven, then Millward matched a 3 from the hosting team to keep pace with the opposition’s offense that was just settling in. These two continued to fight their way inside despite tough defense coming in the form of flashy blocks by Doherty sophomore Ryan Dennis. Dennis would eventually have the final basket of the quarter, bringing his team within one point of Wakefield as the visitors led 15-14 after the first.
The home team opened up the second quarter with a huge 3 to take the lead, spiking a lot of noise in the small Doherty gym that is set to be torn down after this season. This was potentially the final game ever for the Highlanders on this court, so the crowd was as raucous as they could be at any point. Right there to silence the cheers in this moment was Millward as he struck from straightaway. These strikes went back and forth for a while as both offenses seemed unstoppable, making for seven lead changes in the first four minutes of the quarter.
Wakefield seemed to be calm and composed, comfortable running plays with a lot of screening action and giving players space from beyond the arc, as well as space to drive.
As for Doherty, they shot the lights out even through contests as they seemed determined to not be upset in what could be the last time on their home floor. Walker started a lead that would finally stick for the hosting squad as he found his way to the basket on a fast break. Junior Josh Romeo added onto this with a 3 to put the Highlander’s lead back at its highest of four.
There to get Wakefield back into action was junior center Jackson Fitzpatrick as he corralled back-to-back offensive rebounds, eventually getting a pair of points to drop with heavy congestion inside. Junior Matt Beaver came off the bench for Wakefield just moments later as he facilitated to Fitzpatrick inside for his second basket of the game two possessions later. Doherty went into halftime with a 33-31 lead after Walker and senior captain Connor Mauriot exchanged baskets to end the half.
In the second half, the Doherty offense expanded as they shifted from mainly perimeter shots to attacking the paint relentlessly. This change threw off the Warriors defensively as they would collapse on the ball handler when they drove inside, often resulting in fouls or leaving shooters open. Romeo was the first to take advantage of this new spacing for the Highlanders as they sought to expand their lead in the third quarter.
Getting back to work for Wakefield was Millward and Burton as the visiting team stayed consistent with their plan to get down near the basket. Walker and Josiah Reyes attacked the paint for Doherty as they maintained a one-point lead until Reyes expanded his range, hitting late in the quarter from deep to take a four-point lead. The Highlanders closed the quarter on a 6-0 run with three more free throws to give themselves a manageable 54-47 lead heading into the fourth and final quarter.
For Wakefield, seven points isn’t a huge hole to dig out of, especially with the way the offense had been consistently working all game. The problem was a desperate need for defensive stops and some did come for the Warriors early in the quarter. A turnover by Doherty was turned into a quick 3-pointer for Burton, then followed by a steal for Millward and transition layup for Burton. Now the Warriors had climbed within three points of the Highlanders with just under six minutes left in the game. In came a huge response from Doherty as Romeo caught and released an uncontested shot form beyond the right wing and drained it without fear. Walker followed this up with a coast-to-coast transition finish after hauling in a rebound, drawing a foul on the play and converting the and-one.
Wakefield was in desperation mode now as they trailed by their largest deficit of nine, nearing the midway point of the final quarter. After missing a 3 in an attempt to gain chunks of ground back, the Warriors needed a stop badly. The man to step up was Mauriot as he poked the ball loose, leading to a Millward finish with a free throw tacked on. This made the score 61-55, but time was of the essence for Wakefield and Doherty used that to their advantage. The Highlanders used up a lot of the shot clock on their next few possessions just passing around the perimeter, taking the final 10 seconds of the clock to aggressively go at the basket and draw free throws. This broke up Wakefield’s offensive momentum and also tired the defense, leading to more fouls and eventually intentional fouls as the clock dwindled and the Warriors became desperate. Doherty hit 13 of their 16 free throw attempts in the final four minutes of this game to seal it up and head to the Round of 16. Wakefield head coach Colin Halpin honorably subbed out his starting lineup with 24 seconds left, drawing a standing ovation from the sizeable Wakefield crowd that had traveled out to Worcester that day. The Warriors were eliminated as the buzzer sounded and Doherty fans roared. Tears rolled for the Wakefield seniors as they processed how they had given everything they had to this sport, yet lost when the team played as cohesively as it had all season.
To conclude this challenging yet overall successful season, Halpin spoke candidly about what this year’s team has meant to him.
“These guys are my family. I love these guys, man. A resilient bunch, especially these seniors who have set the standard for our program moving forward. I’m a better coach having been able to coach these guys. They showed so much character. It forced me to be on my toes and our coaching staff to be on our toes and make adjustments and change gameplans. I’m proud of how we fought to get to where we were after losing four straight in the middle of the season and kind of bounce back and come together and battle through tough times.
“Basketball is a great game because it’s life. It teaches you, there’s going to be ups and downs, but through it all, they never waivered. These guys love each other. I think they played basketball like that. I’m glad I was able to coach them.”
Wakefield High School basketball will certainly miss the likes of De’Ari Burton, Jackson McDermott, Connor Mauriot, Declan O’Callahan and Logan Bayers as they all go on to graduate. That core five will be tough to replace, but there are many people in this program that will be ready to step up to that task both as leaders and as producers on the court.
There will surely be more success in store for the Warriors when a new season confronts this team next November as a new group attempts to build on the legacy that the 2024 senior class left.
