Wildcats Now Have Backs Against the Wall [VIDEO]

Melrose boys basketball head coach Mike Kasprzak said Friday night's tilt in Wilmington had a playoff feel to it. That's because if the Wildcats hope to reach the postseason, every game is a tournament game for the rest of the year.

Host Wilmington erased a double digit fourth quarter lead to force overtime and took the lead in the extra session before falling, 72-71. After their latest setback, the Wildcats must win two of their final three games in order to continue on into the playoffs.

"This is a tough loss," said Maiella. "We're down a little, but it's all about how you bounce back. It's unbelievable how many tough losses we've had. But they keep on fighting."

Melrose appeared ready to cruise to the win, starting the fourth quarter with a 51-39 lead. But slowly the Wildcats chipped away, though they trailed by six points with just over one minute remaining in regulation.

That's when Tim McCarthy took over. First he drilled a shot from long distance to bring his team within 58-55, then his defense sparked the tying play.

A Melrose player went up for a layup, but McCarthy came up with the block and ended up throwing a full court pass to Cole Peffer, who nailed a three from the corner to tie the game with just under one minute to play.

Denzel Jones provided Melrose with the lead once more with a drive to the hoop with 32 ticks left on the clock, but McCarthy struck again with a twisting layup that tied the game and forced overtime.

In the extra period, the Wildcats had the ball and a two point advantage, but Melrose stormed back and took a four point lead. Even then, Maiella's charges refused to lay down.

McCarthy stuck a step back three and after Melrose hit a pair of free throws, the Wildcats looked to force another overtime. Wilmington couldn't get a clean look from distance as Cole Peffer's put back under the hoop at the buzzer wasn't enough.

"We've got gamers, we've got tough kids," said Maiella. "They could have laid down but they didn't. They hung in there."

With the loss, Wilmington is now 8-9 on the year, 5-3 in Middlesex play. Melrose is now alone in first place with a 12-2 record, 6-2 in the league. The Wildcats' next tilt isn't much easier. The team plays Wakefield, which sports the same league mark as Wilmington and is 12-5 overall.

"You can look at it like we blew a 10-point lead, or this team is playing for the league championship as well," said Kasprzak. "They have a lot of heart and we have a tremendous amount of respect for Wilmington."