JACK MILLWARD had 40 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists in Wakefield’s 82-71 OT win over Woburn on Tuesday night. His buzzer-beating 3 sent the game to OT. Millward’s 40 is tied for 2nd in a single game all time with Mark Plansky. (Andrew Quinn Photo)
Millward joins rare club with 40, including buzzer-beating 3 to force OT
By DAN PAWLOWSKI
WAKEFIELD — Wakefield was dead, to begin with. There is no doubt whatever about that.
The register of their burial on Tuesday night at the Charbonneau Field House — down 15 with two minutes left — was signed by the clergyman, the clerk, the undertaker and a Woburn boys’ basketball team rightfully celebrating a monumental, early-season win on the road.
Yes, the Warriors were dead as a door-nail and 0-2 to start the season.
And then, they weren’t.
A 62-47 deficit turned into 62-50 on a Dylan McDermott 3; and then 62-54 on a 4-point play from Danny Kidder (21 pts, 4 rebounds, 2 ast, 2 stl). A chase down block from Charles Gagne kept the Tanners frustrated before a McDermott second chance bucket preceded a steal and behind-the-back pass from Kidder to Jack Millward, making it 63-58 with 30 seconds left.
Millward now had 26 points in the game. He was just getting started.
He stole the ensuing inbounds pass and was fouled. After hitting one free throw, he missed the second but got his own rebound, getting fouled again and knocking both down this time to make it 63-61. Woburn missed both of their free throws after Wakefield fouled with 17 seconds left but the Tanners somehow came up with a steal, sending them back to the line with 11 ticks to go. After a make, the second — almost by fate — bounced off the rim.
With time expiring, his team down three and two Tanners hounding him full court, Millward navigated to his spot, pulled up for a triple in front of the Wakefield bench and calmly buried it with 3 seconds on the clock to tie it at 64-64 and force overtime, bringing the Red Sea and drifts of Warrior fans to their feet as a jubilation of shared astonishment washed over the Charbonneau Field House.
“What a wild and entertaining high school basketball game,” said Wakefield head coach Colin Halpin. “You hate to put yourself in the position of being down 15 with two minutes left but I loved how our guys fought and competed.”
Of course, the momentum was with the home team in OT and they never relinquished it, outscoring Woburn 18-7 in the extra frame and saying “Bah! Humbug!” to all those 0-2 thoughts.
Millward, who finished with an incredible stat line of 40 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists and 2 steals, was certainly the headliner, but Wakefield got terrific efforts from multiple players, most especially Kidder. The junior poured in 6 points in OT following his 11 in the 4th quarter.
Senior captain Matthew Beaver (6 pts, 5 reb, 5 ast, 3 stl) controlled the paint and facilitated for his teammates, McDermott finished with multiple hustle plays along with 6 points and 6 boards and Gagne, after sitting for most of the game, provided a much-needed defensive boost.
“Millward was outstanding for us, not just with the points but the rebounds, the handling pressure and the assists,” said Halpin. “Kidder stepped up in a huge way and Chuck Gagne proved why he is a winner.”
The start of this epic was relatively even with Woburn taking a 12-10 lead after one and Wakefield putting together a strong 2nd quarter to take a 24-19 advantage into halftime thanks mostly to 19 points including 3 triples from Millward.
The junior’s 40 points by the way? It’s tied for 2nd in Wakefield’s single-game scoring record behind only Brett Okundaye who scored 42 in a double OT win over Burlington in 2021. Millward’s 40 matches another Warrior legend, Mark Plansky of the ’85 Villanova National Championship team. Plansky had 40 in Wakefield’s 78-76 OT state championship game victory over Newton South in ’83.
The Tanners found another gear in the second half, outscoring Wakefield 22-13 in the 3rd as they held Millward to 2 points in the frame, taking a 41-37 lead.
Wakefield’s deficit continued to grow in the 4th, Woburn’s aggressive drives and impressive shot-making resulting in an 8-0 run that shocked the Warriors into a 60-45 hole with 2:30 to go. Millward scored on the break and Halpin called a timeout but Woburn got to the hoop to make it 62-47 with 2 minutes left.
It was Millward’s playmaking that got his team back into it. His cross-court passes led to McDermott and Kidder’s 3’s.
Kidder’s 4-point play, right in front of a Red Sea student section, which never dreamed of skipping out early in this one, gave the home fans some hope, but the Warriors still trailed 62-54.
Gagne’s block provided a further boost. To coach Halpin’s point about a winner, it’s no surprise to learn that the senior guard checked back in at that fateful 2-minute, down-15 spot.
Kidder’s steal and no-look find to Millward officially put the screws to a Woburn team that was feeling the pressure and Millward’s pure hustle, steal and rebound from the free throw line resulted in a 3-point swing with virtually no time coming off the clock.
A rattled Tanner squad couldn’t seal it from the line and Millward did the rest to tie it, officially ending an impossible 17-2 Wakefield run in the final 120 seconds.
Wakefield went on a 9-0 run to start OT, a contested Millward elbow jumper starting it up. Millward found senior Kevin DeGray for a top of the key 3 on the next possession and then connected with Kidder in transition to make it 71-64.
Technically the point guard for the Warriors, Millward, even with one of the rare 40-point games in Wakefield hoop history, proved that his team is at its best when he’s creating for others. As Halpin said, the 40 points is incredible, but the 8 assists was nearly as impressive. By trusting his teammates, Millward created confidence for players like Kidder to step up. That confidence was no joke from Kidder in the 4th and OT. His offensive rebound and floater in the lane was followed by a block on the defensive end and mid range pull up to make it 75-66, certainly creating cries of “God bless us, everyone!” from the greats of Warrior basketball past and all but sealing Wakefield’s wild win.
The locals will hope to keep that momentum when they travel to rival Melrose tonight at 5 p.m. for a huge, early-season clash.
Melrose is 2-0 to start after impressive wins over Belmont (51-47) and Reading (58-56).
