GIRLS BASKETBALL: WAVERLY TAKES EARLY LEAD IN 42-30 WIN OVER ATHENS IN OPENING ROUND OF VALLEY CHRISTMAS TOURANMENT (24 PHOTOS) (2024-12-26)

By TIM BIRNEY
Valley Sports Report
ATHENS — Waverly used a 16-2 run early in the contest to build a double-digit lead, then fended off Athens until scoring the first eight points of the fourth quarter in a 42-30 win here Thursday night in the opening round of the Valley Christmas Girls Basketball Tournament.

Longtime Waverly coach Bob Kelly gave his team an A-plus for effort in the win.

"It wasn't our best game," he said. "I'm very happy with our effort, though, I think that's what got us over the edge, and got us the W.

"I think the girls were pretty amped up to play in the Valley (Christmas) Tournament, and that played a role in it.

"We can execute better than what we did offensively, but overall, the kids played extremely hard," added Kelly. "We just have to trust what we do, and good things will happen."

Kelly also gave credit to Athens for its defensive efforts.

"I thought the Athens defense was pretty solid. They played hard, and they were able to get us out of what we like to do."

Athens senior Addy Wheeler scored the game's first points about 1 1/2 minutes into the contest, but Waverly would close out the opening stanza with an 8-0 run.

Sophomore Ryleigh Judson opened the second quarter with a 3-pointer to give the Wolverines an 11-2 lead with 7:33 left in the first half.

Moments later, Wheeler scored on a drive into the lane to close the gap to 11-4.

After Judson scored on a break-away lay-up resulting from a steal, senior Maddy Olmsted knocked down a 15-foot jumper to put the Wolverines up 15-4 with 5:02 left in the half.

Athens senior Sara Bronson's 15-foot jumper closed the gap to 15-6, but a free throw by freshman Kendall Rockwell pushed the Waverly lead back to 10, at 16-6, with 4:23 left in the half.

At that point, Wheeler took over for the Wildcats, knocking down a 3-pointer from the top-of-the-key and a jumper from the free-throw line to trim the deficit to 16-11 with 3:01 left in the half.

Judson slowed the Athens roll with a 3-pointer from the win to make it 19-11, but Wheeler canned a 12-foot jumper in the paint to cut the lead to 19-13 with 2:35 remaining in the half.

The teams traded free throws in the closing minutes and the Wolverines led 21-16 at the half.

Judson opened the second half with a short jumper, and junior Brilynn Belles turned an Addison Westbrook steal into a bucket on the offensive glass to extend the Wolverine lead to 25-16 with 6:37 left in the third quarter.

After a putback on the offensive boards by Athens junior McKenna Jarvis, Judson canned a 3-pointer to make it 28-18 with 5:13 remaining.

Moments later, Westbrook turned a steal into an uncontested lay-up to make it 30-18.

Waverly led 32-21 after three quarters, but Westbrook scored a pair of buckets, sandwiched around a fast-break bucket by Judson, to make it 38-21 with 6:20 remaining in the contest.

Rockwell scored to cap the 8-0 spurt with a shot off the glass from close range to give the Wolverines their biggest lead of the game, at 40-21, with 5:52 left.

Kelly believed his team's pressure defense took a toll on the Wildcats in the second half.

"The plan is to wear teams down," he said. "It's a four-quarter game, and we always say we're not teams down in the first quarter of first half, but by the fourth quarter, hopefully it starts to take effect."

The Wildcats closed the game with a 9-2 run, including five points from Bronson, who drained a 3-pointer and a short jumper.

Judson led Waverly with 17 points, including a trio of 3-pointers, while Westbrook had 10 points, 14 rebounds, and six steals, and Rockwell chipped in with five points.

Wheeler led the Wildcats with 15 points, 11 rebounds, and two assists, while Jarvis had seven points, eight rebounds, and three steals, and Bronson had seven points and five rebounds.

The Wolverines improve to 6-0 on the season.

"We're still young, and we're still trying to learn this stuff," said Kelly.

"Good things are happening, and we're getting better. I'm very happy with our effort, the girls played extremely hard.

"The mistakes we made are all correctible, and will come as we get a little more comfortable in what we do," added Kelly.

Athens will square off with Sayre Friday at 7:30 p.m. in the consolation game at Sayre High School, while Waverly will take on Norwich in the championship game Saturday at 6 p.m. at Sayre.

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IN PHOTO 1: Waverly's Ryleigh Judson. IN TOP PHOTO: Waverly's Addison Westbrook. ... PHOTOS BY TIM BIRNEY.

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