THE FINAL WORD: THOUGHTS ON CHRISTMAS TOURNAMENT, WRESTLING ... AND MORE (2019-12-31)
The Athens-Waverly boys championship game of the Valley Christmas Tournament is the reason this event should remain a staple of the holiday season.
The game was played in the midst of a jam-packed Athens gymnasium, with dueling student bodies entertaining the masses with creative chants and signs.
On the floor, Waverly pulled out a wild, well-played, and thrilling, 64-63, decision that literally was not decided until the final second of the game.
Athens opened the game with a 21-8 run, displaying its athleticism and ability to score in bunches, while Waverly rushed the ball up floor, and launched 3-pointer after 3-pointer, with little success.
Once the Wolverines slowed things down a bit, 6-8 senior Scott Woodring took over and scored 14 points in the second quarter, sending the game into halftime tied at 31-31.
The remainder of the game was a back-and-forth nail-biter, with Waverly taking a 10-point lead late in the third quarter, thanks to a trio of 3-pointers in a 46-second span, only to see Athens rally to take the lead late in the fourth quarter.
The end of the game was mired in controversy, but that doesn't take away from an entertaining game in which both teams left it all on the floor.
Individually, Woodring was the standout of night, with 34 points, 19 rebounds, and three blocked shots, including two in the final two minutes.
At 6-8, he can do it all. He has great hands, great feet, great touch, can handle the ball, and can hit the 3-pointer.
One of his best attributes, in my opinion, is that unlike most big men, he does not feel the need to block every shot, therefore he avoids foul troubles and stays on the floor. He alters a large number of shots each game, which is just as valuable.
There were a few other players who stood out as well.
I knew Athens sophomore J.J. Babcock was very athletic for 6-5 (any height for that matter) and could shoot the ball, but I didn't realize until Saturday night, he is the complete package.
Not only can he stroke it from behind the arc, he can take it the bucket, and can score in transition. He is also a very good rebounder, and gave Woodring fits in the first half with his ability to get up-and-down quickly.
He is going to be a lot of fun to watch over the next 2 1/2 years.
Saturday was also a coming-out party for Waverly 8th-grader Joey Tomasso, who scored 10 of his career-high 13 points in the second half, including a pair of clutch free throws to tie the game.
His composure in relation to his age is simply amazing, and his game will continue to mature as he does.
Athens sophomore Troy Pritchard played one of the best games of his young career as well, with eight points and nine rebounds.
He is very athletic and could become a physical force. As his confidence grows, he and Babcock will make for a very formidable 1-2 combo in the middle for the Wildcats.
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On the flip side of the boys game, there was a disappointing crowd on hand for the girls game, especially considering Athens entered the game at 5-0, and Waverly at 4-2.
The Lady Wolverines got off to a hot start, jumping out to a 10-2 lead, and never leading by less than four points.
Waverly's defense - both its zone and full-court pressure - stymied Athens' attempts to run any type of offense.
Waverly's offense had been dependent on junior Sidney Tomasso and freshman Kennedy Westbrook, but in both games of the Christmas Tournament, they got help.
Senior Paige Lewis scored 15 points in the first game, and seven in the second, while senior Gianna Picco had nine and eight, and sophomore Olivia Nittinger had seven and a career-high 16.
If the Lady Wolverines can continue to get those type of contributions, they will win a lot of games the remainder of the season.
The Lady Wildcats had a rough night in the finals, but they have a very good trio in junior Kayleigh Miller, sophomore Caydence Macik, and senior Haley Barry, as well as several good role players. They are going to continue to win more than they lose this season.
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There was more than just basketball during the holidays.
Waverly senior Ethan Stotler turned in a dominating performance en route to a 160-pound title at the rugged Windsor Christmas Tournament, beating a pair of returning state qualifiers in the process.
Stotler appears to be on a mission to get to Albany, and 160 pounds appears to be his for the taking.
The rest of the Wolverines had a rough weekend, with freshman 182-pounder Gage Tedesco the lone grappler to reach the blood round in the wrestlebacks.
Tioga sent a small contingent to Windsor (just five), but three of them reached the podium. Eighth-graders Gianni Silvestri and Caden Bellis each finished second, and sophomore Emmett Wood was fourth.
Silvestri, ranked No. 1 in the state by New York Wrestling News, dominated in his first three matches before dropping a 5-4 decision in the finals to Mt. Sinai's Brayden Fahrbach, who is currently ranked No. 2 in the state.
Silvestri, also ranked No. 1 in Section IV by CNYwrestling.com, dominated BGAH's Darren Florence (ranked No. 2), for the third time this season, and is the clear favorite to represent Section IV at 99 pounds at States in late February.
Bellis must have opened a few eyes this weekend with his performance.
Ranked third at 106 in Section IV, Bellis pinned Owego junior Matt Laubach, who is ranked second, in the third period in the quarterfinals to avenge a 6-5 loss in last year's third-place match at the Section IV, Division II championships.
Bellis then beat Section IV's top-ranked Joey Florence, a freshman at BGAH, 5-3 in the semifinals. In the finals, he dropped a 5-2 decision to Chenango Forks freshman Tyler Ferrara, who is the defending Section IV, Division I champion at 106 pounds.
Bellis will likely have to go through Joey Florence and / or Laubach again at Sectionals, but he proved he's capable of a trip to Albany as well.
Wood, who is the top-ranked 152-pounder in Section IV, dropped a 4-3 ultimate ride-out decision to LaSalle's Nick Pino in the semifinals. Pino finished second (also in an ultimate ride-out decision) in Section II, Division 1 last year.
Wood's other loss was a 5-2 decision to returning Section III place-winner Gabe Lynch of Indian River.
Wood is nowhere near wrestling shape. Once he gets there, the 152-pound weight class is ripe for the picking.
With returning state champ Brady Worthing taking aim on a second state title, the Tigers could be well-represented in Albany at the end of February.
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This weekend, Tioga will send its full team to the rugged Peru Tournament, while Athens and Waverly will both be in action at the Oneonta Rotary Duals.
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Waverly senior Mike Atanasoff continues to set records, and lower his times in the freestyle sprints.
Atanasoff erased O-M's Tom Iorio from the IAC record book Saturday at the Wolverine Invite. Iorio had the longest-standing record in the IAC with a time of 21.46 in the 50-yard freestyle, but Atanasoff touched in 21.29 to establish the new 50 free mark. It was also a new school and pool record.
Atanasoff also broke his own IAC, school, pool, and meet record in the 100 free in a time of 47.26 seconds. To top things off, Atanasoff re-set the 100 free records with his opening leg in the 400 free relay, touching in 46.97 seconds.
Atanasoff currently has the fastest time in the State in the 500 free, and third-fastest in the 100 free.
Sophomore Kaden Wheeler is also on the verge of becoming a state qualifier. He was just 0.19 seconds off the state cut in the 100-yard butterfly, clocking in at 54.14 seconds.
He also swam the fourth-fastest time in school history in the 100-yard backstroke at 57.06 seconds.
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Waverly didn't send its full compliment of athletes to the Winter Indoor Track & Field Classic at SUNY Cortland Saturday, but a foursome of Lady Wolverine seniors broke another school record.
Sheridan Talada, who has already broken a pair of school record this season, teamed with Melina Ortiz, Cora Smith, and Elizabeth Fritzen to break a long-standing WHS record in the distance medley relay. The quartet clocked in at 13:00.29, shattering the previous record by more than 13 seconds.
Talada and Ortiz are returning state qualifiers for the Lady Wolverines, while Smith is in her first go-round in winter track. Don't be surprised if all three find their way to States this year.
On the boys side, senior Isaac Chandler is on pace to medal in the pole vault at States, and junior Collin Wright could get there for the first time as well.
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The Final Word returns next week.
Happy New Year, and be safe tonight!
