The Wakefield Trojans boys’ basketball team resumed their regular-season with a runner-up performance at the 2025 Summerland Holiday Tournament in Summerland on Monday and Tuesday, Dec. 29 and 30.
In the first round of the tournament, the Wakefield Trojans took on the Winside Wildcats on Monday, Dec. 29.
Against Winside, the Trojans used an explosive fourth quarter to catapult themselves to a dominant victory.
In the first quarter, the Trojans and Wildcats went back and forth as both struggled to gain the high ground. After eight minutes of play, the foes stood at an 11-11 standstill.
In the second quarter, it was much the same as neither team managed to gain an edge on their opponent. By the time halftime rolled around, the Trojans had done just enough to earn a 24-21 lead.
In the third quarter, both teams came out flat on offense. While both defenses looked solid, neither offense were able to take advantage. Once again, the Trojans were able to outscore the Wildcats, but it wasn’t by a significant margin. With just eight minutes to play, the Trojans clung to a 33-27 lead.
With just one quarter left to play, it looked as though the contest was going to go down to the wire, but the Trojans had other plans.
In one of their best quarters of the year, the Trojans not only caught fire from the floor, but stumped the Wildcats with strong defense. In a quarter that was controlled entirely by the Trojans, Wakefield managed to outscore the Wildcats 27-4 to earn an emphatic 60-31 win and advance to the tournament’s championship game.
Leading the way for the Trojans in their victory over Winside were Cael Johnson with 19 points, Jacob Borg with 16, Colt Johnson with ten, and Brandon Paredes with nine.
Shortly following their win over Winside, the Trojans travelled back to Summerland on Tuesday, Dec. 30 to take on the Summerland Bobcats in the Holiday Tournament Championship.
Against the Bobcats, the Trojans started off the contest hot with a solid first quarter, but a rough second quarter negated all their hard work.
After a solid start which gave them a 15-9 lead after one quarter, the Trojans entered the second quarter with confidence but went ice cold from the field. Behind an 11-2 run in the final three minutes of the quarter, the Bobcats managed to jump out in front 30-21 going into halftime.
After being outscored 21-6 in the second quarter, the Trojans collected themselves at half and came out in the third quarter looking much more composed.
Unfortunately, while the Trojans started looking better, the Bobcats refused to cool down. So, despite scoring 16 points in the quarter, the Trojans only decreased their deficit by a point and trailed 45-37 going into the fourth.
With one quarter left to play, the Trojans dug deep and put together a dominant final eight minutes of play.
With a never-say-die attitude, the Trojans chipped away at the Bobcat’s lead as time dwindled down.
Finally, with just 11 seconds remaining Benny Palma hit a three-pointer from the wing after numerous offensive rebounds to tie the game up at 56-56.
However, after a quick bucket in transition gave Summerland a 58-56 lead, the Trojans needed yet another bucket to tie the game.
With just 4.8 seconds left, the Trojans managed to get an inbounds pass to Cael Johnson at halfcourt, who drove the ball to the rack and got his layup to fall as time expired to send the game to overtime tied at 58-58.
After an enthralling fourth quarter, the Trojans started off the four-minute overtime on a rough note as the Bobcats managed to score a layup off of the opening tip to immediately take the lead.
After the Bobcat layup, scoring stalled until the Bobcats were able to get another bucket to fall to take a five-point lead with just under two and a half minutes remaining.
As time ticked down, the Trojans kept within arm’s reach, but a three-pointer by the Bobcats made it a six-point game with just one minute left to play.
While the Trojans kept it close as time expired, the Bobcats hit big free throws down the stretch to clinch the 71-66 victory.
Leading the way for the Trojans in their holiday tournament championship loss were Cael Johnson with 23 points, Borg with 15 points, and Paredes with 11.
Looking ahead, the Trojans will continue their regular season on Tuesday, Jan. 6 against Lutheran High Northeast in Norfolk, followed by a contest against Ponca on Thursday, Jan. 8 in Wakefield.
After their contest against Ponca, the Trojans will have a week off before they resume play on Thursday, Jan. 15 against Bancroft-Rosalie in Wakefield.