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Subscribe to our NewsletterWakefield Hands Tornadoes First Loss, Claim Tourney Title
December 28, 2011
Malden, MA: The Wakefield Warriors, with a starting five players all 6'0" and up, used their size and length to overpower Malden in the Malden Holiday Tournament Championship game, 67-52. The Warriors were led by tournament MVP Keyon Armstrong's 27pts to hand the Tornadoes their first loss of the 2011-12 season.
Malden jumped out early, leading 16-14 after one quarter before the Warriors began to wear the Tornadoes down with their size advantage. Wakefield shot a sizzling 63% in first half with only 4 of their 35 points coming outside the paint. Wakefield had a decided advantage on the offensive boards, gathering 11 offensive rebounds in the first half en route to a 35-30 advantage.
In the second half, the Tornadoes shifted to a 2-3 zone defense, which held Wakefield to just 8 third quarter points. Unfortunately, Wakefield's pressure defense contained Malden to just 9 points, allowing the Tornadoes to shave only a point off the lead at the end of 3 quarters, 43-39.
The 4th quarter belonged to Armstrong, who nailed three shots from beyond the arc and tallied 6 free throws for 15 of his game-high 27 points to seal the tournament win and the MVP plaque. Malden was led by tournament all-star Rodney Morton's 14 points. The rest of the tournament all-stars included: Malden's Hiago DeSena, Wakefield's Mikoli Blake-Green, Bedford's Joel Rubenstein and Winthrop's Quintin Dale.
The 3-1 Tornadoes return to action a week from this Friday when they take on the Medford Mustangs at the Finn Gym to kick off the GBL season. Game time is at 7:00pm.
Malden jumped out early, leading 16-14 after one quarter before the Warriors began to wear the Tornadoes down with their size advantage. Wakefield shot a sizzling 63% in first half with only 4 of their 35 points coming outside the paint. Wakefield had a decided advantage on the offensive boards, gathering 11 offensive rebounds in the first half en route to a 35-30 advantage.
In the second half, the Tornadoes shifted to a 2-3 zone defense, which held Wakefield to just 8 third quarter points. Unfortunately, Wakefield's pressure defense contained Malden to just 9 points, allowing the Tornadoes to shave only a point off the lead at the end of 3 quarters, 43-39.
The 4th quarter belonged to Armstrong, who nailed three shots from beyond the arc and tallied 6 free throws for 15 of his game-high 27 points to seal the tournament win and the MVP plaque. Malden was led by tournament all-star Rodney Morton's 14 points. The rest of the tournament all-stars included: Malden's Hiago DeSena, Wakefield's Mikoli Blake-Green, Bedford's Joel Rubenstein and Winthrop's Quintin Dale.
The 3-1 Tornadoes return to action a week from this Friday when they take on the Medford Mustangs at the Finn Gym to kick off the GBL season. Game time is at 7:00pm.
