STAC BOYS BASKETBALL: VanHOUTEN'S BUZZER-BEATER LIFTS WAVERLY TO 52-50 WIN OVER SETON CATHOLIC (22 PHOTOS) (2023-12-16)
Valley Sports ReportWAVERLY - Senior Jake VanHouten’s short jumper at the buzzer lifted Waverly to a 52-50 win over Seton Catholic here Saturday evening in STAC Central Division boys basketball action.
It was the first home game for the Wolverines since the tragic passing of girls basketball standout Peyton Shaw earlier in the week, and it was played in front of a capacity crowd.
"It was definitely an emotional win," said Waverly coach Lou Judson. "What an outpouring of support from the community — it was outstanding.
"Obviously, basketball is secondary to what’s taken place, but it felt a little more normal being, and a good distraction to be able to play some basketball," he added.
The win was the second in less than 24 hours as Waverly pounded Windsor, 79-36, in its season-opener Friday night.
"It’s been a long week, and for our guys to come out and play the way they did, after traveling to Windsor and getting home late, says a lot about this basketball team," said Judson.
"They showed a lot of character, fighting through the fourth quarter and finding a way to win," he added.
The Wolverines again played without all-state guard Joey Tomasso, who scored 30.9 points per game last season.
"We are a work in progress right now," said Judson. "It was pretty sloppy throughout the game, and we were out of position at both ends of the floor.
"Give credit to Seton Catholic, they are a good basketball team," he noted. "They are really disciplined … they run their sets very well, and keep your head on a swivel.
"They really beat us up with cuts off the high post.
"From where we’re at with what going on, and still missing Joey (Tomasso), I couldn’t be more proud of how we played today," added Judson.
Sophomore Hogan Shaw, who scored a career-high 23 points in the win, knocked down a trio of 3-pointers, and scored 15 points in the first quarter to lead the Wolverines to a 17-10 lead at the end of the first eight minutes.
The Saints, however, bounced back with a 12-4 second-quarter spurt to take a 22-21 lead into the halftime locker room.
"Hogan (Shaw) shot the ball extremely well in the first quarter, and got us going," said Judson.
"We had some similar looks in the second quarter, and they just didn’t fall," he noted.
"Then, we quit executing int he half-court, and we kind of forgot about our post players in the second quarter," added Judson. "We need to get them more touches, and play through them a little more than we did tonight.
Shaw and Watson scored six points apiece in the third quarter, but Seton Catholic used an 18-12 advantage in the stanza to take a 40-33 lead into the final eight minutes.
The Saints maintained the seven-point lead for the first two minutes of the final stanza, but Waverly reeled off 10 straight points to take a 45-42 lead with 3 1/2 minutes remaining.
"We were very successful in the first quarter with our press, but I couldn’t really do much with in the second quarter because we were in foul trouble," said Judson. "I went back to it in the fourth quarter, and it really paid off. It got us out in transition, and got us some steals."
The game went back-and-fourth in the final minutes, until senior Ethan Perry knocked down a 3-pointer from the slightly right of the top-of-the-key with 12 seconds remaining to give Waverly a 50-48 lead.
Seton Catholic rushed the ball down court, and it ended up out-of-bounds off Waverly. The Saints tied the game on an in-bounds play from underneath their bucket with 6 seconds remaining.
Senior Jay Pipher went the length of the court, and found VanHouten near the low blocks. VanHouten arched a jumper over a Seton defender, and it found nothing-but-net as the final horn sounded.
"It wasn’t the play I drew up, but with 12 seconds left (Ethan) Perry stepped into a 3 at the top-of-the-key and buried it, which was huge for us," said Judson.
"Then, (Jay) went the length of the floor, and Jake found his way into the paint and shot over a good defender to score at the buzzer," noted Judson. "It was a great way to finish a game that could have gone either way."
"(VanHouten) was in foul trouble all night, and struggled to get into the flow of the game, but when we needed him the most, he stepped up for us," added Judson.
Shaw led Waverly with 23 points, including a trio of 3-pointers, and three rebounds, while Watson had 12 points, 10 rebounds, and two assists, VanHouten had six points — all in the fourth quarter, five boards, and one blocked shot.
Perry added five points in the win, while senior Jacob Benjamin chipped in with four points, and three rebounds, Pipher contributed four steals, and three assists, and junior Kolsen Keathley dished out a pair of assists.
Waverly, now 2-0, will host Chenango Valley Tuesday night.
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IN PHOTO 1: Waverly’s Jake VanHouten. … PHOTOS BY MATT PATTON.
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