Valley Sports ReportELMIRA — Waverly used a strong third quarter to take the lead, then held off Cardinal O'Hara, 42-38, here Saturday afternoon in the quarterfinals of National Girls Division at the Josh Palmer Fund / Elmira Holiday Basketball Classic.
"Our team played with a lot of energy for four quarters, and turned in a solid defensive effort." Said Waverly coach Bob Kelly.
"We were solid on both ends of the court," he noted.
"It's a good win," added Kelly.
Sophomore Kaylin Twedt scored seven points in the first quarter, including a 3-pointer, and senior Kaitlyn Sutton added four points to help Waverly to a 12-10 lead after the first eight minutes.
Elonna McGriff scored all 10 of Cardinal O'Hara's points in the opening stanza, including a pair of 3-pointers.
McGriff added four more points in the second quarter and De'Lina Hayes canned a 3-pointer as O'Hara used a 12-9 advantage to take a 22-21 lead into the halftime locker room.
Juniors Ryleigh Judson and Makenzie Olmsted, who knocked down a 3-pointer, scored four points apiece, and the Waverly defense clamped down on O'Hara, and used a 1d-4 run to take a 34-26 elead into the final eight minutes.
In the fourth quarter, Twedt hit an early 3-pointer and Sutton and Judson combined to knock down 5 of 6 free throws down the stretch to seal the win.
Sutton had 13 points and seven rebounds, and Twedt had 13 points and three boards to lead Waverly, while Judson had eight points and three rebounds.
Senior Brilynn Belles and Olmsted added four points apiece in the win, while sophomore Kendall Rockwell grabbed four rebounds, and sophomore Maci Wheeler chipped in with three boards.
Waverly, now 6-2, will now face Elmira Monday in the semifinals. The Express topped Rochester Aquinas, 59-56, in overtime in the quarterfinals.
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IN PHOTO 1: Waverly's Ryleigh Judson. IN TOP PHOTO: Waverly's Kaitlyn Sutton. ... PHOTOS BY SHEILA SUTTON.
