Valley Sports ReportWAVERLY — Waverly raced out to an 18-point halftime lead, then held off a fourth-quarter comeback bid by Athens in a 56-48 win in a UNICO Showcase game here Saturday afternoon in non-league junior varsity boys basketball action.
Maddox Presher and Axel Murray scored four points apiece in the first quarter, and Brycen Fiske canned a 3-pointer to help Waverly to a 13-7 lead.
Brody Lambert scored seven points in the second quarter, and Drew Croft buried a 3-pointer and scored five points to fuel a 21-9 run that pushed the Wolverine lead to 34-16 at the halftime break.
Six different players put their names in the scoring column in the third quarter for the Wildcats, including Aiden Vanderpool, who canned a 3-pointer. Athens trimmed one point off the Waverly lead, and trailed 46-29 entering the final eight minutes.
Caden Brennan scored six points in the fourth quarter, while Chris Moore added five, and Vanderpool was 3-for-3 from the free-throw line after being fouled while taking a shot from behind the arc.
The Wildcats closed the gap to six points with 1:50 remaining in the game, but couldn't get any closer.
Murray and Croft each hit 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to help the Wolverines preserve the win.
Lambert led Waverly with 16 points, five rebounds, four assists, and five steals, while Murray had 15 points and five boards, and Presher had 11 points, four rebounds, four steals and two assists.
Croft had eight points, including a pair of 3-pointers, seven rebounds and five steals in the win, and Fiske added four points.
Brennan and Vanderpool, who had two 3-pointers, led Athens with nine points apiece, while Kade Rowe scored six points, Moore added five points, and Dom Robbins, Isiah Bailey, and Alex McQuay chipped in with four points apiece.
Waverly returns to action Monday at Windsor, while Athens is off until Saturday when it hosts Tioga in the opening round of the Athens Holiday Tournament.
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PHOTOS BY MATT PATTON.
