Winchester: Sachems Register Big Third Quarter and Upset No. 1 Wilmington

The significantly outsized Wilmington High School. That was expected. What wasn’t expected was that the team unstoppable from long range was the Sachems, not the Wildcats during North Division 2 postseason play.

No. 1 seed Wilmington entered halftime with a two-point lead, but by the time the third quarter was over the Sachems owned a 12-point edge. That’s because within a span of less than a minute midway through the period, No. 16 Winchester drilled three shots from distance to swing momentum.

Though Wilmington made a last-gasp run, it was the Sachems who advanced with a 72-61 win.

“It doesn’t matter who you’re playing, you have to show up and play the game,” said Winchester mentor Quinton Dale. “We have a mission and a goal we’re trying to accomplish it. Seedings in high school don’t mean as much as they do in college because of the disparity in league competition, so we don’t worry about that number. We just worry about coming in and playing our game.”

Winchester’s game includes a heavy dose of junior captain Pete Miller, who dominated play with the ball and without it.

Miller, who is a long 6’9” at the center position, filled the stat sheet on the night. He contributed 24 points, 20 rebounds and five blocked shots.

“Tonight, we lost the game because of the big guy. That’s the difference maker. If you take him out of the equation, we’re right there. He had free reign in the paint,” said Wilmington head coach Joe Maiella. “We had to pick our poison. Miller was killing us inside, and we thought we’d try a two-three zone to see what happens. It didn’t work out.”

Maiella made the defensive switch with his team clinging to a small lead midway through the game. Once his team instituted the zone, Winchester players found open space on the perimeter.

According to Dale, that’s what makes Miller such a dangerous player for opposing teams.

“It’d be a coach’s mistake not to recruit him to the next level,” said Dale. “When he shows up, we’re a force. He controls the inside of the paint and the glass and he impacts the game in a lot of different ways. Even the shots he doesn’t block, he alters.”

Just when it seemed the game was out of reach, Wilmington’s potent offense bursted back into contention when Chris Frissore stuck a three to pull his team back within 57-50.

Then, Wilmington came up with a steal but Nick Godzyk’s closely contested layup rolled tantalizingly around the rim and out. Rather than a five point game, the difference remained at seven and Winchester went down to the other end of the court and Ryan Murphy drilled a three of his own to recapture momentum.

Tim McCarthy stuck several threes late for the Wildcats to pull his team back within single digits once more in the closing minutes, but it was too little, too late. Caleb Unni hit four of four free throws in the final ticks to seal the win.

“We had a great year with big games and big memories,” said Maiella. “This wasn’t a No. 1 vs. No. 16 game. They’re a good team. I’m proud of my guys for not quitting when the lead got up to 12 or 13 points there. We played it until the end.”

Winchester now faces Brighton in the MIAA quarterfinal round.

“It’s a resilient group,” said Dale. “We know the Middlesex League is tough and if you get in the tournament you can make a run at it. We’ve been there before and we’re looking to do it again.”