Valley Sports ReportWAVERLY — Meya Smith drained two free throws with 8 seconds remaining to foil Waverly's comeback bid, and lift Elmira to a 53-51 win in STAC girls basketball action.
"It's probably the hardest we've played in a while," said longtime Waverly coach Bob Kelly, who was coaching his final home game. "It's something we've been working on.
"Tonight, they played hard, and never gave up," he added.
Junior Ryleigh Judson scored five points in the first quarter, and senior Kaitlyn Sutton added four points to help Waverly to a 13-12 lead after the opening stanza.
Sutton scored five points in the second quarter, and senior Brilynn Belles added four points to spark a 15-10 Waverly run that gave the Wolverines a 28-22 lead at the half.
The Express caught fire in the third quarter, using a 21-5 blitz to take a 43-33 lead into he final eight minutes.
"We were up six, and got outscored 21-5 in the third quarter, but we came back," said Kelly.
"These kids have it in them," he added. "They just have to care about each other, and they have to want to win."
Judson pumped in 10 points in the fourth quarter on a 3-pointer and a 7-for-8 effort at the free-throw line, and sophomore Kaylin Twedt added eight points as the Wolverines rallied to take a lead with 2 minutes remaining.
Smith's free throws gave the Express the lead, and Waverly's shot as time expired rattled off the rim.
Judson scored 15 points and Twedt added 14 to lead the Wolverines, while Sutton had nine points, Belles added six points, and sophomore Lauryn Welles added four points.
The Wolverines wrap up the regular-season with an 8-12 record, and will likely be on the road next week in the quarterfinals of the Section IV, Class A playoffs. (The brackets will be released Thursday."
"Tonight was a game we wanted to play to get ready for Sectionals," said Kelly. "If we play the way we did tonight, we're going to be a dangerous out, a very dangerous out."
The game marked the final home game in Kelly's 13-year career at Waverly.
"Tonight was a tough one," said Kelly. "I'm not ready to be give it up, but you lose a lot when you're not in the school.
"When I was in the school, the kids were all in my room at one time or another throughout the day," he said. "I miss that communication and connection with the kids.
"Last year was my first year retired, and we had a really good year," noted Kelly. "I think it was evident this year that the connection was missing.
"I'm going to miss it dearly," he added.
Kelly will wrap up his 30-year coaching career, which includes six years as JV boys coach at Waverly, and an 11-year stint as girls varsity coach at Notre Dame, where he won a pair of state titles.
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IN PHOTO 1: Waverly's Kaitlyn Sutton. IN TOP PHOTO: Waverly's Ryleigh Sutton. ... PHOTOS BY TIM BIRNEY.
