Late Tewksbury Three Sinks Boys Basketball

Tewksbury senior sharp shooter Bobby Lumbard scored a career-high 21 points and nailed a long-range three-pointer with just 10 seconds left in the game to give the Redmen their biggest win of the season, 53-52 over rival Wilmington High Tuesday night.

The setback drops Wilmington to 5-5 on the year, though the team's Middlesex League mark remains at 3-1 after non-league tilt. The victory, almost unthinkably, puts the Redmen in solid shape to qualify for the MIAA Division 2 state tournament for the first time since 2007.

Tewksbury came into Tuesday's game with a 2-3 record against tournament qualifying opponents, including a 62-52 loss to Wilmington in December.

"This was the big one, this was definitely the big one," Lumbard said. "This was the game we wanted because now we control our own destiny. All I know is if we win our next two games, we're in."

The Redmen didn't come out looking like they were ready to earn their biggest victory of the year, shooting poorly in the first quarter and falling behind, 17-11 after one period.

But the second quarter was a completely different story as Tewksbury went on an early 7-0 run to pull within a point, and put the clamps on Wilmington defensively, taking a 29-25 lead into the locker room at halftime.

Tewksbury struggled offensively in the third quarter, but a buzzer beater from Lumbard made it 40-38 after three. Wilmington appeared to have taken control in the fourth quarter, pulling ahead to a 48-43 lead halfway through the period, but the Redmen stiffened their resolve and held the Wildcats to just four points in the last four minutes of the game.

Lumbard and senior guard Mike Doucette both hit critical three-pointers in the final three minutes of the game, but the Redmen still trailed by two, 52-50, when they got the ball back with 40 seconds to play. A play designed to get Lumbard a three-point shot from the corner didn't work out, but the TMHS captain freelanced his way to the top of the key and drained the game-winning three-pointer with just 10 seconds to play.

Crawford and Dick combined to take the ball away from Wilmington on its final possession, and the Redmen had their third victory in their last four games.

Senior guard Anthony Chiccarelli scored six points and did a solid defensive job against Wilmington's leading scorer, Tim McCarthy, holding McCarthy to 14 points. Crawford had five points, Doucette added four and Sean Foley added three.

In addition to boosting Tewksbury's state tournament aspirations, the victory marked the first time that any member of the 2011-2012 TMHS boys basketball team had ever won a game against Wilmington.

"I don't know when the last time was (that Tewksbury beat Wilmington)," Lumbard said. "Not since I've been here. But we're not gonna be satisfied until we make the states. This win is great. We'll enjoy it, but tomorrow we're gonna work hard in practice and go get Billerica on Friday."

Wilmington head coach Joe Maiella's charges next take on Burlington on Friday at 7 p.m. in a home tilt.