Wareham boys basketball multi-dimensional with emergence of Crosson

Ed Collins
·5 min read

WAREHAM — Year in and year out, the Wareham boys basketball team has been known for two things — running a fast-break offense and three-point shooting.

The Vikings have fielded a lot of small teams, with lineups that have been powered by quick athletic guards, but things have changed up a bit this season with the emergence of 6-foot-5 center Antoine Crosson.

A junior who started seeing more action towards the end of last season, Crosson has been a nice addition for the Vikings. He gives the team some size in the paint and has helped make the offense better with his inside scoring and rebounding.

Wareham's Antoine Crosson eyes the basket for the Vikings.
Wareham's Antoine Crosson eyes the basket for the Vikings.

"He adds another dimension to our offense. Another way we can be successful," said Wareham head coach Steve Faniel, who's in his eighth season with the Vikings. "We're getting some better looks near the basket amd that opens things up on the perimeter. It's nice to be able to throw the ball into the paint and get some easy buckets."

Crosson, who finished with four points and seven rebounds in a 69-38 South Coast Conference win over Seekonk on Friday, is enjoying being a bigger part of the Vikings' rotation this season.

"It's been great getting a chance to play more. I just want to do whatever I can to help the team," he said. "I expected to play more this season and I worked hard in the offseason to get ready. I spent a lot of time in the gym."

Wareham's Ajay Lopes attacks the lane.
Wareham's Ajay Lopes attacks the lane.

A left-handed shooter, Crosson also worked on using his right hand more and boxing out better.

"He wants to get better and he's willing to put the work in," Faniel said. "He's made good progress the last two seasons and we're hoping that continues."

Friday night's win was a mixed bag for the Vikings, who saw some starters struggle a bit, but got a nice lift from some reserves.

"We were a little off shooting the ball, but we were locked in on defense," Faniel said. "Some role players came in off the bench to produce for us. It's nice to have some depth to work with."

Wareham's Aaron Cote finished with a game-high 17 points.
Wareham's Aaron Cote finished with a game-high 17 points.

Freshman guard Aaron Cote, the first 8th grader in school history to play for the varsity a year ago, finished with a game-high 17 points to lead the Vikings. Junior guard Jayce Travers came in off the bench to score 12 of his 13 points on three-pointers and junior guard Ajay Lopes chipped in with 11 points.

"We were able to win with a team effort," Faniel said. "Travers hit some big threes to spark us in the second half and we spread the ball around on offense."

Wareham's Antoine Crosson eyes the basket.
Wareham's Antoine Crosson eyes the basket.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Cote scored seven points to help give the Vikings a 15-11 lead after the first eight minutes of action. Lopes (five) and junior guard Jaron Pittmen (four) combined for nine points to help the Vikings build a 29-18 advantage at halftime.

Travers knocked down three treys in the third quarter, where the Vikings broke the game open by outscoring the Warriors 21-11 to make it 50-29, and Cote finished strong with an eight-point effort in the fourth.

Wareham is all smiles following their 69-38 victory over Seekonk.
Wareham is all smiles following their 69-38 victory over Seekonk.

WHAT IT MEANS: The win was the seventh straight for the Vikings, who improved to 10-1 overall and 10-0 in the SCC, where they are the defending Gold Division champions. ... The loss snapped a two-game winning streak by the Warriors, who dropped to 5-8 overall and evened their league record at 5-5. ... The Vikings return to action for a 6 p.m. game at home against Tech Boston Academy on Tuesday. It will be a blackout game, with fans encouraged to dress in black.

SEEKONK STATS: Senior guard Jaden Arruda scored 11 points to lead the Warriors, who also got 10 points from junior forward Jason Andrews. ... The Warriors made 11 of 15 free throws and committed 11 of their 18 turnovers in the first half.

Wareham's Diego Mello burries the three. Mello finished with six points.
Wareham's Diego Mello burries the three. Mello finished with six points.

WAREHAM STATS: Senior center Elijah Carrion scored eight points and junior guard Diego Mello chipped in with six points. ... The Vikings converted on 16 of 24 foul shots and they took good care of the ball with only nine turnovers.

NOTES: The Vikings are ranked third in the MIAA Div. 4 Power Rankings for games played through Jan. 26. Seekonk is No. 31 in Div. 3. ...  Wareham has scored 789 points this season and is averaging 71.7 points a game.   

Wareham coach Steve Faniel watches as his team builds on their lead over Seekonk.
Wareham coach Steve Faniel watches as his team builds on their lead over Seekonk.

WAREHAM 69, SEEKONK 38

Seekonk

Kevin Crowe 0-2-2, Jaden Arruda 3-4-11, Noah Beausoleil 2-0-6, Jason Andrews 4-1-10, Al Chester 1-0-2, Travis Pereira 0-4-4, Alessandro DeSantis 1-0-3. Totals: 11-11-38

Wareham

Elijah Carrion 1-6-8, Aaron Cote 6-2-17, Jayce Travers 4-1-13, Ajay Lopes 3-4-11, Antoine Crosson 1-2-4, Jaron Pittmen 2-0-4, Will Halloran 1-0-2, Diego Mello 2-1-6, Jakwon Pittmen 1-0-2, No. 24 (not on roster) 1-0-2. Totals: 22-16-69

Seekonk11 7 11 9 - 38

Wareham 15 14 21 19 - 69

Three-pointers: S - Arruda 1, Beausoleil 2, Andrews 1, DeSantis 1; W - Cote 3, Travers 4, Lopes 1, Mello 1

Records: Seekonk (5-7, 5-5 SCC), Wareham (10-1, 10-0 SCC)

This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: Wareham boys basketball beat Seekonk