Tyler Hart, Contributor
WAVERLY – As the old saying goes, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
CREDIT: Renee Nemeth/SOSA
That was on full display for Waverly in Friday evening’s contest against Valley. The Tigers’ duo of Trey Robertson and Zeke Brown led the way en route to 64-52 victory while combining for 42 points.
Four different scorers led Waverly (16-3, 13-2 SOC II) to a 15-14 lead in the opening quarter. Robertson initiated the scoring in the game with his layup around the 7:14 mark and later closed the quarter leading all scorers with 10 points.
The score was kept within a single possession through the entirety of the first half. Both squads found their scoring in different ways.
Waverly relied on inside scoring while Valley found itself hitting the deep ball early.
The Indians (10-8, 8-6 SOC II) found themselves sinking four 3-point shots in the first half, compared to Waverly’s lone triple. The solo three-pointer made by Waverly’s Mark Stulley was drilled at the buzzer heading into halftime and it gave Waverly a 28-27 lead at the break.
The second half is where the headlining duo of Robertson and Brown started to make their mark.
Valley found itself holding a 31-30 lead with 6:26 to play but Waverly’s Gage Wheeler drained back-to-back 3-pointers to give the Tigers a 36-31 lead. After those two triples, Waverly never looked back.
Brown continued to play aggressive inside and found himself visiting the line twice in the quarter while scoring 10 points in the frame.
Meanwhile, the Tigers’ defense held Valley to just 10 points in the quarter, helping to build a 50-37 lead going into the final period.
The fourth quarter was evenly matched, mirroring the two’s style of play in the first half.
Valley’s George Arnett started the quarter with a 3, which was the team’s first made 3-point shot since the 3:40 mark in the second quarter. Arnett went on to hit two more triples in the period, alongside a layup that brought his scoring total for the game to 15 points.
But Robertson closed out the game in the fourth as he tallied Waverly’s final 11 points in the game. The junior posted a game-high 25 points and found himself making three trips to the line in the final quarter, where he was a cool 10-for-10.
BOX SCORE
Valley: 14-13-10-15 — 52
Waverly: 15-13-22-14 — 64
Valley: 20-41 FG, 4-8 FT, 8-17 3pt. Scoring: Arnett 17, Perkins 13, Stuart 7, Copley 6, Nickel 5, Buckle 2, Metzler 2.
Waverly: 23-36 FG, 13-21 FT, 5-11 3pt. Scoring: Robertson 25, Brown 17, Wolf 8, Wheeler 8m, Stulley 6.