8th Grade Warriors Open Playoffs with Two Big Wins

(Editor's note: The following information was submitted by the coaches and administrators of the Wamesit Warriors Basketball program.)

Warriors 61

Peabody  36

The 8^th grade Wamesit Warriors from Tewksbury continued their regular season dominance and moved to 21-0, after defeating Peabody 61-36 in the second round of the playoffs.

The victory was won due to an incredible 52-22 rebounding advantage. The Tewksbury Warriors had scoring runs of 11-2, 14-1, and 7-0, thanks to high-pressure defense applied early, and often. James Sullivan grabbed 11 rebounds to go along with a couple of field goals, Alex DiRocco scored 13 points with 2 steals, Derek McGaffigan scored 12 points, and added 3 assists.

Mike Milano scored 8 points, which matched his rebound total. Craig Harkins contributed 7 points and 2 assists, Chris Caron 6 points to go along with 4 rebounds, and Ryan Bednarek and Shayne Russell scored baskets for the winners. Alex Botazzi scored 4 points, Joe Csokmay 3 points, and both Botazzi and Csokmay were a force underneath on the defensive end.

Warriors 66

Malden  60

The 8^th grade Wamesit Warriors from Tewksbury are 22-0, and heading to the Championship game, after an exciting 66-60 semi-final win over Malden.  The Warriors held a 36-34 rebounding advantage, and limited turnovers when it counted late in the second half. Mike Milano started the game on fire offensively, scoring 13 points in the first half, and ending with 15 total for the game, and high-scorer honors. Joe Csokmay was huge with 12 points, James Sullivan scored 13 points, and drove to the basket on multiple occasions, helping to foul-out the Malden center. Alex DiRocco added 14 points, fed his front-court teammates for easy baskets, and caused problems for Malden with his steady ball-handling. Craig Harkins and Chris Caron teamed up with Ryan Bednarek in the first half to sustain the Warrior lead in a close contest. Derek McGaffigan added 2 points, and along with Shayne Russell, kept the Malden point-guard in check with aggressive defensive pressure. Russell also stepped up offensively with 9 points, including 4 of 5 from the charity stripe. Alex Botazzi battled underneath, sustaining an injury early, and then came back strong in the second half with tremendous energy rebounding and on defense, to go along with a basket.