Valley Sports ReportWAVERLY "" Waverly limited Edison to just seven points over the two middle quarters, and pulled away for a 68-37 win here Monday night in IAC South Large School boys basketball action.
"I thought (Edison's) three-guard offense might pose some problems for us, but I challenged my team for the last couple of days," said Waverly coach Lou Judson. "They took to the challenge quite well.
"I think our defensive intensity that was maintained throughout the game really got (Edison) out of rhythm offensively," he noted.
"Offensively, we did some really good things early, getting the ball into Scotty (Woodring) and him kicking it out, and our guys hitting some perimeter 3s," added Judson. "It was probably our most complete basketball game of the season."
The Spartans entered the game at 4-1, averaging 62 points per game, with its first win over Notre Dame in a decade, and a hard-fought eight-point loss to unbeaten divisional leader Watkins Glen.
"It was a dominant performance, and a good win for us," said Judson.
"... (Edison) only lost to Watkins Glen by eight points at home,' he noted. "This is the ceiling, this is the potential this basketball team has.
"Now, there's a barometer for us that we have to hold ourselves accountable to," added Judson. "We know what we're capable of doing."
Six-foot, 8-inch senior Scott Woodring pumped in 12 points in the first quarter, and 8th-grader Joey Tomasso drained a 3-pointer to help Waverly to a 15-13 lead after the first eight minutes. Edison's trio of guards - Xander Burch, Jack Shaw, and Jack Hourihan combined for all 13 points.
Sophomore Caden Hollywood buried a pair of 3-pointers and had nine points, and senior Jalen McCarty also connected on a pair of 3-pointers and had eight points to fuel a 17-5 second-quarter run that put the Wolverines ahead 32-18 at the half.
Woodring took over again in the third quarter with 10 points in a 14-2 blitz that upped Waverly's advantage to 50-20 entering the final eight minutes.
Woodring, who posted his fifth double-double in five games, led Waverly with 26 points, 18 rebounds, and one blocked shot, while Hollywood had nine points and two blocked shots, McCarty scored eight points, and junior Griffen Stein had seven points and one blocked shot.
Junior Aiden Westbrook had four points, four steals, and three rebounds in the win, while junior Kobe Decker chipped in with four points, junior Ryan Lambert dished out four assists, and junior Peyton Bowen grabbed four rebounds.
Burch led Edison with 13 points, while Shaw scored nine points, and Hourihan chipped in with five points.
Judson, whose team played all but seven games last season without Woodring, likes what he's seeing from the Wolverines, who improve to 4-1 with the win.
"˜I think our team is coming together," he said. "I saw some very good things in the last couple days of practice.
"Tonight, we kind of put it together. We have some things to tweak and work on, but I really like the direction we're headed.
"I like the camaraderie's and chemistry of the team, when guys are coming off the bench and hitting shots, and everyone is into the moment," continued Judson. "It has a good feel to it right now.
"We need to continue to play like we have been, and continue to work hard," added Judson. "If we continue to do that, good things will happen for this basketball team."
Waverly returns to action Friday when it hosts Towanda at 8 p.m. in the opening round of the Valley Christmas Tournament.
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IN PHOTO 1: Waverly's Scott Woodring. PHOTOS COURTESY OF DAVID ALLIGER "" TRAVELING PORTRAITS PHOTOGRAPHY.
