Sports
Strong Second Half Jolts Wayland Into Bracket Final
The Warriors handed North Reading its first defeat of the year during the North Division 3 semifinal round.
The Wayland High School and North Reading student sections had plenty to say during Wednesday's North Division 3 boys basketball semifinal tilt at Burlington High School.
It was the Warrior faithful, however, that got in the last word.
No. 4 Wayland pulled away during the second half and cruised to a 64-48 victory that propelled the locals into the bracket final, scheduled for Saturday in Lowell's Tsongas Center.
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Both sides of the bleachers were packed with vocal fans, who went back and forth at each other throughout the game. Wayland pounced to a 7-0 edge to start the game before the Hornets came back to take a 29-25 lead into halftime.
But it was all Warriors in the second half behind the stellar effort of standout senior guard Jaleel Bell, who crushed North Reading with 34 points, 14 rebounds, and 9 steals.
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A win on Saturday would vault Wayland into the state semifinal, which is slated for Tuesday at TD Garden.
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