Warren’s Rylan Shotwell (30) is defended by Waterford’s Sydney Cline throughout Monday’s Waterford Excessive College ladies sport. (Picture by Mike Morrison)
WATERFORD – Kendall Sury and Avery Wagner mixed for 34 factors Monday night time because the Waterford Wildcats accomplished a season sweep over the Warren Warriors with a 53-48 victory on the Harry W. Cooper Annex in Waterford.
The Wildcats constructed a double-digit lead within the second half after which held off a late cost by the Warriors to enhance to 16-Three on the season.
“They’re a terrific basketball workforce and to get two wins towards them will not be a straightforward factor to do,” Wildcat head coach Jerry Shut stated. “We struggled terribly at occasions tonight, however the powerful schedule we have performed all season has been to arrange for video games like this, and I feel we’re lastly getting it now.”
Simply earlier than Christmas, the Wildcats knocked off Warren 41-39 on the street, and Monday night time’s rematch took on an analogous tone early as neither workforce was capable of draw back from the opposite.
The guests led 11-9 on the finish of the primary quarter earlier than Waterford made a little bit of a run within the second interval to take the lead.
Waterford’s Avery Wagner goes for a shot throughout the Wildcats’ sport towards Warren on Monday in Waterford. (Picture by Mike Morrison)
A Three-pointer by Lakyn Jones and back-to-back inside scores from Wagner gave the Wildcats a five-point lead.
A pair of late first-half area targets from Warrior Hayleigh Chidester lower the result in three, however Waterford responded with the important thing remaining two minutes of the primary half.
Again-to-back buckets by Sury pushed the result in seven earlier than Wagner beat the buzzer with a robust drive to the basket to ship the Wildcats to the locker room with a 26-17 benefit.
Wagner had 11 factors, seven rebounds and 6 blocked photographs within the first half alone and proved to be a problem for the Warriors.
“Avery (Wagner) is a Division I basketball participant certainly and it was powerful for our ladies to deal with.” Warrior head coach Brad Venham stated. “I used to be pleased with how our ladies went in there and battled it out and the trouble they put forth.”
The Warriors spent your entire quarter making an attempt to chip away on the Wildcat lead and eventually made some late progress because of a two-pointer and a pair of free throws from junior Sarah Pettey to chop the margin to 6 earlier than the final quarter.
The Wildcats opened the fourth quarter with a area objective from Avery Smithberger, who drove down the sector, however Pettey answered as soon as once more with a bucket off an help from Warrior senior Madison Lynn.
Waterford turned the ball over 4 occasions early within the remaining interval, and an inside basket by Warrior junior Mackenzie James-McGuire lower the result in 4 with just below 5 minutes to play.
The Wildcats regarded to regain their composure and did so in a giant approach as they moved the ball expertly and took nearly two minutes off the clock earlier than two huge open factors by Wagner prolonged the lead again to 6 .
“We have seen numerous strain in numerous tight conditions this yr and this group is determining the right way to care for the ball and use one another,” Shut stated. “It is that point of yr the place you need to be at your finest each night time and I used to be pleased with how we completed.”
The Warriors wouldn’t go away simply as a two-pointer by freshman Aubrey Pepper and a Three-pointer by junior Raylen Shotwell lower the result in simply 4 with 1:17 to play within the sport.
The Warriors determined to foul the Wildcats and drive them to win the sport on the charity stripe, and Sury did her half, sinking a pair to stretch the lead again to 6.
Shotwell responded rapidly by hitting his second back-to-back Three-pointer in a matter of minutes, and all of the sudden the Warriors had made it a one-possession sport with lower than 50 seconds to play.
“I assumed Raylen performed nice tonight” stated Venham of Shotwell. “She’s been bothered by a hip flexor drawback the previous few weeks, so it was nice to see her play like that tonight.”
As soon as once more the Warriors determined to foul Sury and as soon as once more she made them pay as she hit two extra to push the lead again to 5.
Warren missed a Three-pointer on their subsequent possession and the Wildcats delivered the ultimate blow when Sury discovered a large open Elsie Malec underneath the basket and the sophomore transformed to place issues out of attain for good.
Sury led all scorers with 19 within the sport to associate with eight rebounds and 4 assists, whereas Wagner completed with 15 factors, 14 boards and 7 blocked photographs to associate with three assists.
Shut feels Wagner’s potential to see the ground and make good passes makes her a particular expertise.
“They did it as a workforce each time he bought the ball and he made some nice passes tonight.” Shut stated. “On high of every little thing she does, she additionally does a terrific job of discovering folks, and that makes her even higher.”
Warren was led in scoring by Shotwell with 1.four, whereas Pepper and Chidester reached double figures with 11 and 10 factors, respectively.
“There have been a couple of minutes within the second half the place they may have buried us and our ladies dug deep and I favored to see that,” Venham stated. “We’re simply lacking a number of issues to actually be what we thought we might be and I can not look ahead to it to click on.”
The sport definitely had a playoff really feel to it that ought to show helpful to each groups as they put together for subsequent week’s playoffs.
Warren (14-7) will wrap up its common season Saturday night time at Fairfield Union, whereas the Wildcats host Belpre on Thursday and journey to arch-rival Fort Frye on Saturday night time.