Game-by-game look back at Wareham’s run to the Div. 4 state championship

The 2022-23 season was one to remember for the Wareham boys basketball team.  

The Vikings captured the South Coast Conference Gold Division title and breezed through the Div. 4 tournament to capture the program’s second MIAA State Championship in school history by beating Springfield International in the title game.

Here’s a game-by-game look back at Wareham’s magical run: 

Dec. 14: Wareham 82, GNB Voc-Tech 63

The Vikings opened the season with a win on the road thanks to 17 points from freshman Aaron Cote and 13 from junior Diego Mello. 

Dec. 16: Wareham 79, Seekonk 36

Junior Antoine Crosson scored a team-high 23 points while Cote added 12 points and junior Ajay Lopes chipped in with 11 as the Vikings improved to 2-0.

Dec. 20: Wareham 68, Old Rochester 65, OT

Lopes hit a pair of free throws with 5.9 seconds left to seal the three-point victory for Wareham (3-0) in a battle of the South Coast Conference’s top two teams. Lopes scored 15 of his game-high 23 points after halftime. Crosson added 12 points while Cote chipped in with 11. 

Dec. 23: Bishop Feehan 66, Wareham 60

The Vikings (3-1) battled back from a 20-point deficit to pull within six points, but came up short, suffering their first loss of the season. Cote connected on six 3-pointers en route to a team-high 22 points. Lopes added 16 while Crosson contributed 10. 

Dec. 27: Wareham 74, Fairhaven 36

Wareham (4-1) bounced back from its loss to Bishop Feehan with a dominant performance on both ends. Crosson led the way with 22 points and 12 rebounds while Lopes had nine points and seven assists. Cote and Mello both had nine points. 

Jan. 7: Wareham 74, Apponequet 62

Crosson had another double double with 18 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Vikings to their second straight win. Lopes added 17 points and dished out six assists. Mello connected on three 3-pointers and stretched the floor for Wareham. Cote had four steals, seven rebounds, four assists and eight points. 

Jan. 10: Wareham 61, Bourne 50

This was a close game to start with Wareham pulling away in the second half. Lopes had 11 points and nine assists while Crosson had 16 points and 11 rebounds. Cote shot 6 of 10 from the floor and finished with 11 points. Junior Jaron Pittman had some timely drives to the basket and played strong defense. 

Jan. 13: Wareham 82, Case 34

Mello was 4 of 6 from long distance and finished with 16 points. Lopes also scored 16 points and had seven assists and five steals. Crosson chipped in with 10 points and 10 rebounds while Cote had 13 points for a balanced offensive attack. 

Jan. 17: Wareham 62, Fairhaven 35

Mello knocked down four 3-pointers once again and had a team-high 14 points. Jaron Pittman had 11 points and seven rebounds while Lopes scored 11 points and dished out six assists. Crosson had nine rebounds and seven points. Cote provided defensive pressure all game.

Jan. 24: Wareham 76, Somerset Berkley 71

Mello was on fire from three-point range as he connected on six 3-pointers. He finished with 24 points. Crosson had a monster game with 21 points and 16 rebounds while Lopes dished out 14 assists and scored nine points. Cote added 11 points. 

Jan. 27: Wareham 69, Seekonk 38

Cote led the Vikings with 17 points while junior Jayce Travers added 13 and Lopes chipped in with 11 as the Vikings captured the seventh straight win. 

Jan. 31: Wareham 88, TechBoston Academy 81, OT

Cote knocked down a 3-pointer to send the game to overtime, where Lopes scored six of Wareham’s 11 points to pull out the non-league victory. Lopes finished with 22 points and 10 assists while Mello had 23 points and Cote added 19. 

Feb. 3: Wareham 66, Dighton-Rehoboth 57

The Vikings overcame a slow start to capture their 12th win of the season. Lopes led the way with 23 points while Crosson added 13. 

Feb. 7: Wareham 81, Case 53

All 11 players scored as the Vikings got off to a fast start and never looked back. Travers had a team-high 16 points while Cote and Crosson both had 12 and Jaron Pittman added 10. 

Feb. 8: Wareham 83, Nantucket 59

Mello set the tone with a team-high 23 points while Crosson added 16 and the Pittman brothers had 11 apiece. Crosson also had 10 rebounds. Travers scored nine off the bench. Lopes finished with eight assists. 

Feb. 10: Wareham 68, GNB Voc-Tech 45

Four different players reached double digits in scoring. Crosson had 18 points and 16 rebounds while Cote added 15 points. Jaron Pittman chipped in with 11 points and Lopes had 10 points and seven assists.

Feb. 13: Old Rochester 71, Wareham 59

Wareham’s 11-game win streak came to an end with the Bulldogs closing out the game on an 11-3 run after the Vikings had pulled within four on a 3-pointer from Lopes. Lopes led Wareham with 19 points while Mello added 17 and Cote chipped in with 11. 

PLAYOFF BASKETBALLHow Wareham has been building toward this moment for nearly a decade

Feb. 17: Bourne 79, Wareham 78, OT

The Vikings suffered their second straight loss, falling in overtime by one. Lopes was strong all-around with 28 points, six steals and six assists while Mello had 12 points. Crosson had 11 points and nine rebounds. 

Feb. 20: Wareham 67, Apponequet 42

Wareham ended its only losing streak of the season thanks to a win over the Lakers in the opening round of the Mitch Kuliga Classic. Lopes scored 15 points while Travers added 13. Jakwon Pittman chipped in with nine. 

Feb. 22: Wareham 74, Bishop Stang 56

The Vikings beat the Spartans to win the Mitch Kuliga Classic championship in their regular season finale. Lopes, the tournament MVP, had 18 points while Cote added 16 and Mello chipped in with 10. 

March 2: Wareham 95, Winthrop 59

Five different players reached double digits in scoring as the top-seeded Vikings enjoyed their biggest offensive output of the season against No. 32 Winthrop in the Div. 4 Round of 32. Lopes had 14 points and nine assists while Cote also had 14 points. Travers added 13 points while Crosson and Mello each had 12. Crosson also grabbed 13 rebounds. 

March 7: Wareham 81, Fenway 56

The Vikings put on another dominating display in a Sweet 16 win over No. 16 Fenway as Lopes and Crosson both finished with double doubles. Lopes had a team-high 25 points and 11 assists while Crosson had 20 points and 16 rebounds. Travers added 12 points. 

March 10: Wareham 82, Cathedral 60

No. 8 Cathedral had no answer for the Vikings, who led by 24 points in the second quarter in the Elite 8 game. Crosson was a force down low with 13 rebounds and a game-high 19 points. Cote and Lopes had 16 points apiece and Mello added 10. 

ROAD TO THE TITLEHeaded to the Div. 4 state finals, Wareham needs one more win to achieve goal

March 15: Wareham 69, Millbury 32

Wareham punched its first ticket to a state final since 2010 by beating No. 5 Millbury in a rout. The Vikings had their best defensive performance of the playoffs, holding the Woolies to just two points in the first quarter and a total of 10 in the first half. Lopes was in complete control of the offense by scoring a game-high 18 points and dishing out eight assists. Cote added 14 points while Crosson contributed 10 points and 10 rebounds. 

DIV. 4 FINALWareham boys basketball beats Springfield International for program's second state title

March 19: Wareham 66, Springfield International 40

The Vikings jumped ahead by 14 points at halftime and cruised to a victory over No. 3 Springfield International in the Div. 4 final to capture the program’s second state title in school history. Lopes set the tone with a game-high 20 points and seven assists. Crosson dominated the post with 14 points and 15 rebounds. Cote added eight points while Travers chipped in with six.