Published in the January 19, 2021 edition.
By DAN PAWLOWSKI
WAKEFIELD — Characterizing a win as “program altering” always seems drastic.
However, if the purpose of the phrase is to describe the potential positive effect a win over a strong program can have on an up-and-coming team, it works well enough.
The Wakefield High girls’ basketball team proved on Saturday in Wilmington that they were within arms reach of such a win, hanging with a talented Wildcat team before eventually fading in the fourth in a 38-32 loss.
A last-minute shift in opponents from a Wilmington rematch to Arlington on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day yesterday only substituted one strong program for another. The Spy Ponders are considered one of the best teams in the Middlesex League. Wakefield never flinched, battling back from an early deficit in the first quarter to take a lead they wouldn’t relinquish as they rolled to one of their most impressive performances in recent years, and yes, a program-altering win.
“It was definitely one of the more complete games this group has played in the last few seasons,” said head coach Jason Pavey. “The one thing I can say about this team is that they are resilient. After a tough loss to Wilmington on Saturday, they were ready to go out and compete Monday.”
Wakefield got a game-high 20 points from sophomore point guard Emma Shinney who was on fire from beyond the arc, hitting six 3-pointers.
“Offensively, we were just really aggressive and composed,” said Pavey. “That started with Emma Shinney. She was in total control of the game. Emma’s really talented and that showed. She not only had 20 points but kept other players involved. We asked a lot of her and she responded.”
Arlington took an early 6-2 lead but Wakefield fought back. Junior Ashlee Purcell (16 points) blocked a shot to stop a layup in transition and then followed with a 3. After a 3 from sophomore Mia Forti and a layup on the run from junior Sophie Brown (9 points), Shinney hit her first 3 from the top of the key to give Wakefield a 13-11 lead and later followed with a crossover and step back 3 to give Wakefield a 16-14 lead after one.
The Warriors were scoring but making their statement on the defensive end, especially in the second quarter when they only surrendered seven points. Even with a significant size disadvantage, the Warriors were competing hard against a talented team – deflecting passes, denying entries, rotating, helping and communicating well.
“The team was all over the place to start the game and had great energy,” said Pavey. “We came out trying to give Arlington a few different looks on defense and the kids were able to focus and execute. Even though Arlington made some shots, we were okay with that knowing we were going to have to live with them knocking down some shots. We just wanted them to work for everything and overall, I think we made them do that.”
Shinney hit two more 3’s in the second quarter, her first – off an offensive rebound and pass from Purcell – started the frame and gave the Warriors a 19-14 lead. Senior captain Brianna Lotti hit a layup off a pass from Brown who later drove and scored for a 23-21 lead. Shinney’s second 3 and 12th point of the half, this time from the right hash mark, made it 26-21 going into halftime.
The Warriors extended their lead from five to 12 when they won the third quarter by a 20-13 count. Wakefield’s charge was led by Purcell who had 11 of her 16 in the third.
“Ashlee Purcell had a huge impact on the game,” said Pavey. “She’s another player with a lot of energy who plays hard all game. She makes a lot of ‘wow’ plays and today she had some more highlights.”
Most of those highlights came on the fast break as Purcell got out on the run after forcing turnovers but one of those highlights came off an out of bounds play when Purcell inbounded to Shinney and took off, receiving an immediate pass back in a give and go before flying to the hoop for two. That gave Wakefield a 44-34 lead. Purcell finished the quarter with a runner to beat the buzzer.
Wakefield’s guards handled Arlington’s full court pressure well all game, never getting flustered and always finding the best times to either move the ball or clear out.
The Warriors continued to shoot well in the fourth. A right corner 3 from senior captain Clara Butler (6 points) made it 49-36 and after an Arlington 3, Shinney’s jumper went fully unconscious with her sixth triple, again from the top of the key to stretch the lead back to 13.
It takes a full team effort to get a win of this magnitude and Wakefield got it. Brown provided scoring and opportunities for her teammates with her strong drives.
“Sophie Brown does all the little things for us that don’t always show up in the box score…making hustle plays, playing physical,” said Pavey. “Offensively I thought she did a really good job picking and choosing her spots.”
Butler and Forti were asked to hold their own on the defensive end against taller players. They did that, and added some clutch shooting as well.
“We got a major boost off the bench from Clara Butler and Mia Forti,” said Pavey. “Their contributions – being physical and hitting some big 3’s – had a major impact.”
Fall to Wilmington
Wakefield’s game in Wilmington on Saturday was close throughout. The Warriors did a great job against versatile and talented senior center and Bentley basketball commit Kylie DuCharme, who scored 15 points, but earned every one.
After a sluggish first quarter, Wakefield bounced back in the second to take a 22-20 lead into the break. The Warriors kept their two-point lead going into the fourth quarter but were shut down by a strong Wilmington defense while DuCharme hit some big buckets to seal a 38-32 Wildcat win.
Purcell was all over the court again on Saturday, collecting nine points, nine rebounds, five steals and two assists.
The Warriors also got a steady game from Lotti who had four points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals.
Forti also stood out, having the best game of her promising Wakefield basketball career with nine points, four rebounds and five steals. She got the Warriors going in the second, getting a tough two under the hoop, assisting on a Purcell mid range jumper and hitting a deep two of her own to tie it at 12-12.
The Warriors asked Shinney and Brown to stick with DuCharme in a box-and-one throughout the day. They battled and mostly kept her at bay until the final quarter.
Although the loss was tough because the Warriors knew they could win, it certainly gave them the confidence to believe they could compete with the best. The Arlington win two days later, evened Wakefield’s record up at 2-2, but more importantly, it proved to these Warriors that they can, in fact, beat anybody. That’s the definition of a program altering win.
