Re: High School Boys Basketball (2013-2014 Season)
Posted by:
Allen Kha
()
Date: February 16, 2014 11:59PM
from Wednesday the 12th...
JUNIOR CENTER POWERS HOST WAKEFIELD PAST EDISON
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One quarter into last night’s matchup against the Edison Eagles, host Wakefield was struggling to find its footing against the visiting team’s dynamic backcourt.
The Warriors, who eventually won 75-68 in a boys high school basketball showdown for first place in the Capitol Conference 13, had an opportunity to avenge their loss earlier in the season against Edison.
That all changed in the second quarter for Wakefield (17-4, 6-0) when junior forward Dominique Tham, who finished with 23 points, 18 rebounds, four blocks, and four assists, literally took charge of the game. After providing the bulk of the points to help rally his team, Tham threw down a monstrous dunk in transition late in the quarter that sparked a run to end the first half.
The Warriors punctuated that final run with a three-point shot from senior guard J.P. DeFranco at the buzzer to claim its first lead of the game, and never looked back en route to the victory.
The victory, Wakefield’s seventh in a row, clinched the conference regular season title for Wakefield and the top seed and home court advantage throughout the upcoming conference tournament. Edison (18-3, 5-1) will be the No. 2 seed.
“That was a real big momentum swing for us,” Tham said. “We did all the things to get back in the game, and that play was huge getting us the lead.”
Wakefield continued to play on its own terms in the second half as it extended its 33-32 halftime lead with a 25-19 third quarter. A stagnant Edison half-court offense struggled to figure out Wakefield’s defense in the second half, often settling for low-percentage shots or perimeter shots, while the Warriors scored with relative ease.
While Wakefield shot 48 percent from the floor, the Eagles shot 37 percent, and an even-worse 12 percent from three-point range. With Tham controlling the boards, Edison didn’t receive many second-chance opportunities.
“We played better defense this time,” Tham said. “We forced them out of the middle and onto the outside for shots they didn’t want to take. We wanted to close off the paint, because that’s where they are most comfortable.”
Edison also tried to push the tempo offensively. Most of its 36 points in the second half came in transition.
“We left [Dominique Tham on an island in the first quarter,” Wakefield coach Tony Bentley said. “He was going one-against-five out there, and we needed to respond by having everyone else move around, motion, effectively to get [Tham] the ball. We started doing that in the second quarter. We started to play our inside-out game, which is what we do. And executed on defense against one of the better backcourts in the region.”
In addition to Tham, Re’Quan Hopson had 19 points for Wakefield, Marqua Walton had points, including a trio of three-pointers, Jalen Carver scored eight and Kyle Davis six.
Bentley noted that Wakefield’s recent form has his team well-positioned for a potential postseason run like last season’s, when the Warriors played in the Northern Region championship game.
“We’re not looking past our next game against Mount Vernon. That’s the next peg we are looking at,” Bentley said. “But something to note is that our last five games before tonight, we’ve dominated our opponents. The margin-of-victory has been around 15-plus points, and that’s what you want to be doing at this time of year. That allowed us to be confident for this game, compared to how Edison was winning like we were, but all in close games.”
Edison senior guard Marcus Brumsey led all scorers with 24 points, while junior guard Tyvez Monroe added 15 points for the visitors.
The Wakefield vs. Mount Vernon game was originally scheduled for Thursday night has been moved up to be played tonight at Wakefield at 7:30 p.m.