SECTION IV BOYS BASKETBALL: WAVERLY TOPS LANSING, 64-49; HEADED BACK TO CLASS B CHAMPIONSHIP GAME (24 PHOTOS) (2025-03-04)
By TIM BIRNEYValley Sports ReportWAVERLY — In a rematch of last year's Section IV championship game, Waverly punched its ticket to a second straight title game with a 64-49 win over Lansing here in the Class B boys basketball semifinals.
"I think it's the best we've played all year, at least in terms of playing a complete game — both ends of the floor," said Waverly coach Lou Judson.
"Porter (Daddona) was an animal inside, and Hogan (Shaw) made some timely jump shots, and made free throws down the stretch.
"We took care of the basketball, and we guarded them," Judson added.
Judson said he's seen his team make great strides forward in the last two months.
"We are just a totally different team than we were six or eight weeks ago," said Judson. "The guys are really starting to buy into game plans, and guys are understanding that we have to play defense at this time of year.
"And, we've been on a roll, playing well on our home floor," he noted. "Fortunately, we got the 2-seed and were able to play (Lansing) on our home floor.
"We're just a more complete team," added Judson. "We set egos aside a while ago and realized we need one another if we're gonna accomplish what we want to accomplish ... we became better teammates."
The Wolverines return just one player — junior Hogan Shaw — from last season that saw significant time. They also lost senior Kolsen Keathley to a knee injury at the end of football season, and 6-5 senior Xavier Watson, who enrolled early at UConn to play Division I football.
"To be honest, we have over-achieved a little bit, but when you have a good coaching staff, and when you have athletes who like to compete and you have very good athletes, you can mold them into playing defense," said Judson.
"We have what we need," he noted. "We have shooters, and we have enough scoring inside that compliments each other.
"So am I surprised? Yeah, I'm surprised, but knowing the types of families I have on this team, I'm not overly-surprised," Judson added.
Judson also made note of playing in the STAC.
"Playing in the STAC is definitely beneficial because every night is a battle, and we have to work every possession to score.
"So, when we get against a team from the IAC that doesn't see the quality of teams we see, I feel like we have an advantage even if they're a little better than us because we are battle-tested," said Judson.
"This is two years in a row ... obviously, we had a very good team last year, but this year's team really proved the point that playing good competition on a nightly basis is going to help you, especially if you get to the postseason," he added.
The Bobcats took its biggest lead of the game, at 5-2, on a 3-pointer by Jordan Sidle with 6:30 remaining in the first quarter.
Waverly rallied to take its first lead of the game, at 6-5, on a pair of free throws by junior Porter Daddona, and 15-foot jumper by Hogan Shaw with 5:30 remaining in the opening stanza.
Buckets by sophomore Carson Rockwell and Hogan Shaw gave Waverly an 11-8 lead with 1:11 remaining, but Lansing scored the last three points of the stanza to tie the game at 11-11.
The Bobcats took their last lead of the game, at 13-11, on a bucket by Jackson Tarbert in the opening moments of the second quarter, but junior Ronin Ault, off a feed from Hogan Shaw, tied the game with a short jumper with 7:02 remaining in the first half.
Less than a minute later, Daddona knocked down three free throws to put the Wolverines ahead for good at 16-13.
Lansing cut the deficit to one point on two different occasions, before Daddona, off a feed from freshman Jack Pipher, pushed the lead to 21-17 with a conventional three-point play with 4:40 remaining in the first half.
Waverly stretched its lead to 25-18 with 1:50 remaining in the half on back-to-back buckets by sophomore Bryce LaForest and Hogan Shaw, an old-fashion three-point play by Sidle and a 3-pointer by Ryan Pettograsso closed the gap to 25-24 with 39 seconds remaining.
Sophomore Benny Shaw gave the Wolverines the momentum heading into the halftime locker room with a putback on the offensive boards with 3 seconds remaining to make it 27-24.
Daddona scored on a driving lay-up, and a 3-pointer to extend Waverly's lead to 32-24 with 7:23 remaining in the third quarter, but the Bobcats answered with a jumper by Sidle and a 3-pointer by Logan Mayo to close the gap to 32-29 with 6:03 left.
A baseline jumper by junior Carter Davies with 5:11 remaining to trigger an 8-0 run that also included a lay-up by Ben Shaw, off a feed from Daddona, a putback by Daddona, and a fast-break lay-up by Hogan Shaw to extend the lead to 40-29 with 3:40 left
Consecutive 3-pointers by Mayo closed the gap to 40-35 with 2:05 remaining in the third quarter.
Waverly pushed its lead back to 10 points, at 45-35, on a driving lay-up by Daddona and a three-point play by Hogan Shaw with 28.5 seconds remaining in the third quarter.
Sidle trimmed the deficit to eight, at 45-37, with 6.6 seconds remaining, but Waverly rushed the ball up court, and LaForest canned a 3-pointer from the right wing at the third-period buzzer to give the Wolverines a 48-37 lead heading into the final eight minutes.
"Bryce LaForest's 3-pointer at the end of the third quarter was the biggest shot of the game," said Judson.
LaForest opened the fourth quarter with a steal, and a feed to Davies for a lay-up that pushed Waverly's lead to 50-37.
With Waverly up 52-39, Sidle missed a pair of free throws, and Hogan Shaw hit the Bobcats with a dagger, draining a 3-pointer from the left wing with 5:03 remaining to make it 55-39.
Waverly took its biggest lead of the game, at 59-42, with four consecutive free throws by Hogan Shaw with 2:10 remaining in the game.
The closest Lansing would get the remainder of the game was 14 points.
Daddona had 21 points, 10 rebounds, two assists, and two blocked shots, and Hogan Shaw had 21 points, three boards, four assists, two steals, and one blocked shot to lead the Wolverines.
Ben Shaw had eight points and two steals in the win, while Davies had five points and seven rebounds, LaForest had five points, four rebounds, and two steals, and Pipher added three rebounds and two assists.
Sidle led Lansing (15-6) with 18 points and Pettograsso added 10 points.
Waverly, now 13-9, will face top-seeded Dryden, which beat Chenango Forks 55-40, in the Class B Championship game Sunday at 3:15 p.m. at Visions Arena in Binghamton.
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IN PHOTO 1: Waverly's Hogan Shaw. IN TOP PHOTO: Waverly's Porter Daddona. ... PHOTOS BY TIM BIRNEY.
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