After already clinching the state tournament and nearly edging out division best Milton two nights before, the Rebels faced a trap game against Wellesley. On Wellesley’s Senior Night, the Raiders looked to surprise the Rebels and give them their second straight loss. Nevertheless, Wellesley got ruined by the Rebels.

The visiting Rebels stunned Wellesley from the beginning and jumped out to an early lead. The pressure put on the Raiders, by Walpole’s stifling man-to-man defense, fueled the victory. Walpole put the game away early as Seniors Derek Hand, Ryan Terp and Marven Toussaint all scored in double digits, in limited playing time. The starters did their job by opening up a big lead by half time, then turned the game over to the Rebel bench. The Rebel Subs had no trouble maintaining the lead, and all saw significant playing time and most all scored in the game. In the end The Rebels won 69-44.

In regards to the Rebel’s victory over Wellesley, Walpole’s Senior swingman Joe Rogers said, “We laid a beating on them(the Raiders).”

After the Rebels did away with Wellesley, they went on to sweep the abbreviated Rebel Hoop Classic over the break; they defeated Stoughton and Needham. Walpole now moves on to the state tournament on February 24th where they are to play fourth seeded Dartmouth.

Thirteenth ranked Walpole looks to improve upon last year’s first round exit via The Academy of Public Service. When questioned about whether or not the Rebels were ready for their upcoming game, senior point guard Chris Ferro said with confidence, “We are.”