STAC BOYS BASKETBALL: VanHOUTEN'S HOT HAND LEADS WAVERLY TO 55-34 WIN OVER CHENANGO VALLEY (2024-02-09)

Valley Sports Report
BINGHAMTON - Senior Jake VanHouten fueled a third-quarter run that propelled Waverly to a 55-34 win over Chenango Valley here Friday night in STAC Central Division boys basketball action.

With the win, Waverly, now 15-3 overall, improves to 10-2 and finishes second in the division, behind Seton Catholic, which clinched the title Friday with a 52-38 win over Owego.

The Wolverines had one of their poorest shooting night of the season, but made up for it with a strong defensive effort, said coach Lou Judson.

"We played outstanding defense the entire game, especially in the third and fourth quarter," he said.

"Offensively, we struggled in the first half," noted Judson. "It was just one of those shooting nights that we haven’t had many of this year, but we did tonight. Fortunately, our defense bailed us out.

"Jake VanHouten in the third quarter dominated the game at both ends of the floor," added Judson. "He played a great game, and we needed him to because my guards were struggling shooting the ball."

Waverly made just 34 percent (9 of 26) of its shots in the first half, and finished the game shooting 38 percent (21 of 55).

"(CV) really packed it in, and didn’t want Xavier (Watson) catching the ball in the low post," said Judson. "They did a nice job of covering the high post in the first half.

"We had wide-open looks on skip passes, on shots we’ve consistently made all year long," he noted. "We were 5 of 22 from 3-point range, and 8 of 17 from the free throw line — those types of numbers will come back to haunt you in the playoffs.

"But when you’re able to play defense as well as we’ve been playing it lately, it kept us in the game," added Judson. "Fortunately, our shooting didn’t effect our effort and defense … our captains stepped up and led us to a nice win."

Seniors Joey Tomasso, and Thomas Morley knocked down 3-pointers in the first quarter to help Waverly to a 12-10 lead

Tomasso scored four points in the second quarter, and sophomore Hogan Shaw added a 3-pointer for the Wolverines, but CV trimmed a point off the deficit, and trailed 21-20 heading into the halftime locker room.

VanHouten, who had two points in the first half, exploded for 14 points, including a 3-pointer, in the third quarter as Waverly extended its lead to 37-25 with a 16-5 run.

Six different Wolverines put their name in the scoring column in the fourth quarter, and sealed the victory with an 18-9 run.

VanHouten led Waverly with a season-high 18 points, nine rebounds, two assists, three steals, and one blocked shot, and Tomasso had 12 points, even rebounds, including six on the offensive glass, and four assists.

Benjamin had five points, and five rebounds in the win, while Morley scored five points, junior Kolsen Keathley added four points, and junior Xavier Watson hauled down 11 rebounds.

Warren Walters led CV with 12 points, and Jordan Benokowski added 10.

This was scheduled to be Waverly’s last regular-season game, but the Wolverines may add a game against Union-Endicott to its schedule next weekend, but it is not official.

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IN PHOTO: Waverly’s Jake VanHouten. … VSR STOCK PHOTO.



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