The Wakefield Trojans girls and boys basketball teams took their talents to the hardwood on Monday, Nov. 27 for jamboree play against the Howells-Dodge Jaguars.
Both teams got the opportunity to get out on to the court against some new faces before their official season-opener, coming up on Thursday, Nov. 30 against the Pender Pendragons.
The jamboree was played so that each team got to pick the defense their opponent would be running, allowing their kids to get different looks and practice against types of defenses they expect to see throughout the season.
Because the game did not count against either team’s official records, both teams got nearly their entire roster in, allowing for some playing time for nearly every kid on each team.
Per usual, the night began with the girls’ contest. While the game did not count for much, both teams showed their competitive edge, with neither team wanting to go home the loser.
The Trojans began the game red-hot, scoring 19 points in the first quarter, led by Jordan Metzler with 10. The second quarter is where Wakefield saw some struggles, however. With just two made field-goals the entire quarter, the Trojans offense had gone cold entering the half.
After halftime, the game continued to be a back-and-forth battle between the two squads. Despite the Trojans 16-point fourth quarter to bring the game back within reach, the Jaguars would have the last laugh, and came out on top with a 52-50 victory.
Leading the way for the Trojans was the senior, Metzler, with 30 points, followed by Katie Borg with eight, Munter-McAfee with six, and the duo of Boston Brown and Bella Andrade with three each.
In the boys contest, the Trojans found some struggles offensively, but used hard work and solid defense to keep the game close at halftime, down by just six. At the half, it was Cael Johnson sitting on top of the scoring column for the Trojans with four points.
In the second half, the Jaguars were able to pull away. Johnson was able to stay hot for the Trojans, scoring seven points in the third, but his efforts wouldn’t be enough. Howells-Dodge put the nail in the coffin with a 17-point fourth quarter to hand the Trojans a 47-29 loss.
Leading the scoring column for the Trojans was Johnson with 11 points, followed by Jacob Borg with four, Jacob Birkley and Isiah Villa with three, Johnathan Birkley with two, Anthony Valenzuela with two, and Isaac Walsh with two.
The Trojans now await their first regular season game of the year against the Pender Pendragons. The Pendragons will travel to Wakefield on Thursday, Nov. 30 for a non-district matchup against the Trojans.
More pictures of the girls game can be found on page 5 and the boys can be found on the back page of this edition of the Republican.
Wakefield travels to Dodge for preseason jamboree
November 30, 2023