Their season ended a few games short of what they'd hoped, but overall the 2023-24 boys high-school basketball campaign was a big improvement from the last couple for the Wakefield Warriors.
Wakefield finished with a 21-5 record, concluding play with a 59-53 home loss to the Madison Warhawks in a physical and seesaw semifinal clash of the 6D North Region tournament. Wakefield was 1-1 in the tourney, defeating Westfield, 60-45, in the first round.
Wakefield won just 11 games each the previous two seasons.
The Warriors entered the region after winning the Liberty District tournament for the first time. Wakefield wanted to at least play in the region final, which would have achieved another team goal of earning an automatic Class 6 state-tournament berth.
"It was a good season. We won the district, but we wanted to go farther in the region and we had a good chance to do that," Wakefield coach Tony Bentley said.
In the region semifinal, there were three ties and eight lead changes. Wakefield led 22-20 at halftime. Madison took the lead for good at 32-31 with 4:20 left in the third quarter on a Darren Knicely layup. That began a 7-0 Madison run.
The game was close the rest of the way, with Madison maintaining the lead by the help of making 11 fourth-quarter free throws.
"We did not shoot well at times and we had turnovers that hurt us," Bentley said. "We have been a good third-quarter team all season, but not against Madison."
Wakefield was outscored 21-14 in the third and had five turnovers.
First-team senior all-region player Carlton Young had nine points, 10 rebounds, two steals and two assists for Wakefield. Second-team all-region selection Miles Hancock had 14 points. Shane Morrison made three three-pointers and scored 13 off the bench, Jeremiah Poole made two threes and scored 14, B.J. Willis scored six with five assists and Kevin McLinton, Jr. had two points and three assists.
Wakefield was 1-1 in the region, defeating Westfield, 60-45, in the first round. Young scored 20, Poole 16, Willis eight, Hancock and Gabe Henneman six each and McLinton, Jr. four.
NOTES: The 20-win season was Wakefield first since the 2017-18 campaign.
