Wayland boys basketball earned its third win of the season, beating Weston by a score of 57-46 on Tuesday, December 22nd.  However, the game began slowly for both teams, especially for Wayland. The team missed eight of thirteen free throws in the first half, and was 2 of 7 from three-point range.

“I don’t think we moved the ball well, and our screening needed to be better.  It took us a little longer to get going than we thought,” said Wayland head coach Dennis Doherty.  Even with these setbacks Wayland was able to maintain a 3 to 5 point lead throughout the first half.

Wayland was having a tough time stopping Duncan Van Nest of Weston, who scored eight of Weston’s 24 first half points. After leading by five at the break, Wayland got off to a sluggish start in the second half, giving up three baskets in the first three possessions for Weston.

Doherty called a time out. When his team came back onto the court, they stepped up their game and shut down Weston’s wide spread offense.  Shots, which had been shaky all game, started falling for Wayland.  After being tied at 37 midway through the third quarter, Wayland finished the quarter with a 9-0 run, including a three-pointer by senior Zack Miles that helped sway the momentum.

In the fourth quarter Wayland’s defense locked up Weston’s offense and only gave up 9 points. Throughout the game Ian Bonner  was huge on defense and on the boards, with two second half blocks and over ten rebounds.  This was Bonner’s first game since Wayland’s overtime win against Boston Latin, in which he sprained his ankle. Freshman varsity player Jaleel Bell also had a strong game, scoring seven points.