Wakefield Boys Fall to Reading in OT

With both teams fighting for a trip to the postseason, Tuesday night’s Middlesex League tilt between Wakefield and Reading was always going to be an emotionally charged and closely fought affair.

In the end, it was the Rockets who came away with a crucial 56-49 overtime victory at Walter E. Hawkes Field House on the strength of 20 points from junior forward Jerry Ellis-Williams and a clutch second-half performance from senior captain Brian Bourque.

Bourque, held scoreless during the first half, helped settle the see-saw battle with a key bucket during overtime. Bourque helped Reading establish a strong interior presence during the second half, something that had been noticeably absent from their repertoire in the early going.

“We got the ball inside (down the stretch),” said Reading head coach Paul Morrissey. “We don’t shoot the ball all that well from the outside, but when we get the ball inside, good things happen.”

With the score knotted at 44 shortly after the start of the extra frame, Bourque muscled out a tough two-points in the paint and was fouled in the process. The Rockets’ center missed the free-throw, but Ellis-Williams was there to collect the rebound and convert another quick bucket, and just like that, Reading was up 48-44. The Rockets outscored the Warriors 14-7 after the end of regulation.

“We had to pick it up in the overtime,” said Bourque. “Just taking care of the ball and making sure we weren’t fouling.”

Ellis-Williams and Bourque, aided by the efforts of junior Kenny Reed (13 points), finished the job from there, scoring the rest of Reading’s points and holding Wakefield to just a pair of Brian Mata (5 points) free-throws the rest of the way.

Mata earlier iced two from the charity stripe in the waning moments of regulation to send the contest into extra time.

“Mata was huge, hitting the two free-throws to send it to overtime,” said Wakefield head coach Brad Simpson. “You’ve got to give Reading all the credit in the world, they made their shots, and they scored most of the points in overtime.”

This game had OT written all over it from the outset, as the defensive struggle saw Wakefield and Reading drawn level after the opening quarter at 7-7. By halftime, the Warriors had eked themselves out an 18-14 lead.

“We turned the ball over way too many times in the first half,” said Morrissey. “Some of that was (Wakefield’s) defense, some of it was us getting nervous.”

With Wakefield ahead 29-25 and three quarters in the books, Bourque sparked a Reading rally that ultimately led to a thrilling finish.

“(Bourque) broke our press a couple of times at mid-court,” said Simpson. “Instead of passing to someone, he took it all the way to the basket and scored ... those were some  big hoops for them. That was during a stretch were they went from about four behind to about four ahead.”

Bourque converted a pair of layups that brought Reading from a 33-29 deficit onto even terms with the Warriors with about five minutes left in regulation.

“I felt like it was just two teams, late in the season, that know each other so well, that they defend each other so well.”

The low-scoring defensive duel left Wakefield facing a must-win showdown with Melrose on Friday, while Reading will take on Stoneham.

For Simpson, there is little concern over lingering-effects from the gut-wrenching brawl last night in Reading.

We’re a senior team, this is our fourth overtime game,” he said. “So, I think the kids will feel badly ... but then when they come to practice, they’ll be focused and ready to go.” 

Wakefield, with a record of 9-10, could still make the post-season by winning against neighbors Melrose on Friday night. That game will tip off at 7 p.m. at Melrose.