Wareham's Ajay Lopes has decided where he will play basketball next year

After he graduates from Wareham High next month, Ajay Lopes will be continuing his basketball career at Bridgton Academy , a college prep school in Maine.

Bridgton Academy’s basketball program, which has won four NEPSAC AAA championships, is known for preparing athletes for Division I college basketball and beyond.

"I thought it was the best opportunity to further my basketball career for myself so that I could have another year before playing in college," Lopes said. "It seemed like a nice school academically as well as the athletics."

A two-time Standard-Times Boys Basketball Player of the Year his sophomore and junior years, Lopes has left his mark at Wareham High.

The senior point guard finished his illustrious career as a 1,000-point scorer and a two-time state champion.

Lopes led the Vikings to a 66-40 win over Springfield International in the 2023 Div. 4 state title game with a team-high 20 points and seven assists. He averaged 17 points, 7.5 assists and 2.3 steals during his junior year, earning South Coast Conference MVP honors.

With Lopes leading the way, the Vikings defended their crown, beating rival Bourne 86-71 for the 2024 Div. 4 state championship. Lopes scored 10 of his game-high 25 points in the fourth quarter as Wareham pulled away and avenged an earlier season loss to the Canalmen.

'Storybook ending': Wareham boys basketball completes state-title repeat

The Vikings became just the third SouthCoast boys basketball team to ever win back-to-back state titles.

Lopes averaged 17 points, 6.8 assists, 5 rebounds and 3 steals per game his senior year.

Lopes became the first-ever boys basketball player from Wareham High to win the prestigious Dave Cowens Award.

This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: Wareham's Ajay Lopes has decided where he will play basketball next year