SECTION IV GIRLS BASKETBALL: SCORING DROUGHT PROVES COSTLY IN WAVERLY'S 57-41 LOSS TO CHENANGO FORKS IN CLASS B SEMIFINALS (24 PHOTOS) (2025-03-05)
By TIM BIRNEYValley Sports ReportWAVERLY — Waverly went scoreless for more than four minutes and saw its nine-point second-quarter lead turn into a four-point third-quarter deficit, and it got worse from there in a 57-41 loss to Chenango Forks here Wednesday night in the semifinals of the Section IV, Class B girls basketball playoffs.
"Making shots fuels your energy, and we need to make shots to get into our pressure," said Waverly coach Bob Kelly.
"We didn't see many shots at the end of the second quarter, and we didn't see many shots in the second half, and our energy was kind of defeated, although we played hard the entire game, and for the entire season," noted Kelly.
"These kids have no reason to hang their heads," added Judson. "They gave everything they had."
Waverly led 14-12 at the end of the first quarter, then used a 12-5 run to take a 26-17 lead with 3:15 remaining in the first half.
"We were making shots," said Kelly. "We were taking good shots within our offense, we were getting open, and we were knocking those shots down.
"And, we were able to get some second-chance shots that we were able to put in.
"When all that stuff happens your energy picks up," added Kelly. "In the second half, we didn't get as many open looks, and we really didn't execute our offense that great."
After the teams traded the lead early, freshman Lauryn Welles knocked down a 3-pointer from the top-of-the-key to give the Wolverines a 9-5 lead with 5:21 remaining in the first half.
With 1:49 remaining in the opening stanza, freshman Maci Wheeler was off-target on a 3-pointer, but rebounded her own miss in the lane and hit a short jumper to give Waverly a 14-10 lead.
After a bucket in the closing seconds of the first quarter, Grace Harkness canned a 3-pointer from the wing to give Forks a 15-14 lead.
Wheeler put Waverly ahead 16-15 with a runner, then drained a 3-pointer with 5:55 left in the first half to make it 19-15.
Junior Kaitlyn Sutton knocked down a 15-foot jumper a little more than a minute later to extend the lead to 21-15.
After a bucket by Maggie Warpus closed the gap to 21-17, Judson canned a 15-foot jumper, then drained a long 3-pointer to make it 26-17.
After a timeout, Harkness knocked down a 3-pointer that sparked a 7-0 run to close the half and pull Forks within a bucket, at 26-24, at the halftime intermission.
Warpus and Mari Poorly hit consecutive 3-pointers to open the second half and extend the Blue Devil lead to 32-24 a minute into the third quarter.
The Wolverines tied the game, at 30-30, on a bucket by senior Addison Westbrook and a pair of free throws by Judson with 5:03 remaining in the third quarter.
Warpus scored the next seven points, capped by an old-fashioned three-point play to give Forks a 37-30 lead with 3:28 left in the third quarter.
Sutton answered with back-to-back 3-pointers — the first at the shot-clock buzzer and second off-the-glass — to trim the deficit to 37-36 with 1:06 remaining in the third quarter.
Warpus closed out the scoring in the stanza with a pair of free throws to make it 39-35 heading into the final eight minutes.
Judson scored on a drive down the lane with 5:27 remaining in the contest to cut the deficit to 43-39, but Forks closed the game with a 14-2 run.
For the Blue Devils it was their third win over Waverly in the last four weeks.
Judson led Waverly with 13 points, while Sutton scored 10 points, Wheeler had seven points, Westbrook added six points, and Welles chipped in with five points.
Warpus led Chenango Forks with 26 points, and Pourby added 14 points.
The Wolverines, who have just two seniors on their roster, wrap up the season with a 17-4 record.
"This season was absolutely a step forward," said Kelly. "This group has been through so much. What they've endured, how much time and effort they've put in, and how they responded this year is commendable.
"They are just great individual kids, and they are great teammates.
"They have worked extremely hard and they're young," added Kelly. "I thought they grew throughout the year. Hopefully, they stick with it, keep working hard, and we come back strong next year. I think the future is bright."
Waverly will lose Westbrook and Maddy Olmsted to graduation.
"We're going to miss our two seniors — their leadership was outstanding," said Kelly.
"Addison Westbrook and Maddy Olmsted are two great individuals, I couldn't ask for better leaders," he added. "The examples they set for the young kids was outstanding."
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IN PHOTO 1: Waverly's Kaitlyn Sutton. IN TOP PHOTO: Waverly's Ryleigh Judson. ... PHOTOS BY TIM BIRNEY.
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