The Wellesley High boys’ basketball team fended off Natick High at home on Tuesday night by a 56-52 score thanks to their three-point shooting and tenacious defense, while the Natick Redhawks girls earlier in the evening took advantage of turnovers and piled up second chance points to down the Raiders 50 to 30.
The Raiders’ boys team won its third straight game after an 0-6 start to the season. Tristen Steele nailed six three-pointers as part of a 20-point night to lead the team in scoring; one of his threes gave Wellesley a three-point margin at the half and a pair partway through the third quarter gave Wellesley a 44-39 lead it wouldn’t relinquish. Senior Leo Velyvis sprinkled 10 points across the game, including two on a layup off a nice inbound pass from beneath the basket in the second quarter.
Both teams got off to a slow start, then swapped multiple leads through the first half. Wellesley entered the final quarter up 48-42, and despite Natick answering again and again, the Raiders were able to hold off the Redhawks in the end. Junior Neil Jennings’ drive through traffic and successful layup after a series of Wellesley misses in the fourth quarter put the Raiders up by seven points with two minutes to go and helped seal the victory.
“I think the biggest difference was just our ability to get a few more defensive stops than they did,” said first year Wellesley varsity coach Paul Seaver. “We really pride ourselves on the defensive end and last night, that was key to getting our third win in a row.”
The Raiders are holding opponents to under 50 points per game.
Seaver is optimistic about the program’s direction, noting the junior varsity team is undefeated.
The Wellesley girls’ team, which lost three key players ahead of the season to a combination of private school and lacrosse, has taken an opposite route of the boys. After winning their first two games, the girls have dropped six straight.
The Raiders had a brief 7-6 lead vs. Natick on Tuesday just before the end of the first quarter courtesy of a layup and three pointer from senior forward Laura Girouard , but Natick (7-2) regained the edge 8-7 to end the period and never looked back. Both teams played tough defense, but the Redhawks were stronger on the ball throughout the game, and gave the Raiders fits by pressing and setting traps.
Natick’s Kayla Dunlap kept the pressure on in the second quarter and beyond with steals converted to layups and a handful of threes and put-backs.
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