STAC BOYS BASKETBALL: WAVERLY RIDES DEFENSE, 3-POINTERS IN 51-35 WIN OVER CHENANGO VALLEY (24 PHOTOS) (January 6, 2026)

Valley Sports Report
WAVERLY — Waverly overcame a very slow start offensively with "great" defense, then knocked down a slew of 3-pointers in a 51-35 win over Chenango Valley here Tuesday afternoon in STAC boys basketball action.

"Tonight is exactly the reason why I lost my hair at an early age," laughed Waverly coach Lou Judson. 

"We come out and play great defense, but can’t finish around the rim and struggle to put points on the board in the first quarter," he noted. "We played very well in the second and third quarters. We were up 20 midway through the third and at that point, I was able to get a lot of players some meaningful minutes. 

"However we became flat offensively and seemed too content to win a game by 16 instead of 30," added Judson. "I know I’m being critical while winning by 16, but we don’t want to finish the game like we did tonight - it wasn’t pretty at times - momentum is huge in basketball."

The longtime Waverly coach said his team needed to cut down on turnovers, and take advantage of opportunities.

"We need to do a better job of taking care of the basketball - 17 turnovers is way too many against a team we were able to dominate," said Judson. 

"We are also struggling to make free throws right now. 

"I thought our press was very effective early on and we play our best when we are out in transition," added Judson.

Neither team could buy a bucket in the first quarter, which ended with Waverly leading 7-3.

Waverly knocked down five of its 10 3-pointers in the second quarter with junior Jack Pipher, who scored eight points in the stanza, and senior Hogan Shaw each canning two, and freshman Braiden Judson added one to fuel a 19-10 run that pushed the lead to 26-13.

Six Wolverines put their names in the scoring column in the third quarter, with Pipher scoring four points, and senior Porter Daddona and junior Bryce LaForest adding 3-pointers in a 17-11 run that extended the lead to 43-24 entering the final eight points.

Hogan Shaw and junior Carson Rockwell each connected from the 3-point range in the fourth quarter to help seal the win.

Hogan Shaw led Waverly with 15 points, three assists and three steals, and Pipher had 14 points and three steals.

"I thought Jack Pipher played his best game of the season," said Judson. "His shooting ability complimented his ability to drive it to the rim and finish."

Judson scored six points in the win, while Daddona had five points, seven rebounds and two blocked shots, and Rockwell added five points.

Junior Ben Shaw grabbed seven boards and dished out three assists for the Wolverines, while sophomore Sam Cheresnowsky pulled down five rebounds, and senior Peyton Robinson handed out three assists.

Waverly, now 6-3, returns to action Friday when it hosts Chenango Forks.

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IN PHOTO 1: Waverly's Jack Pipher. IN TOP PHOTO: Waverly's Carter Davies. ... PHOTOS BY TIM BIRNEY.

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