Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
WAVERLY — When Waverly last beat Wheelersburg, George W. Bush had just been elected as the nation’s president, How the Grinch Stole Christmas topped the cinema charts, and you could fill up your gas tank for $1.51 per gallon.
Needless to say, the proverbial monkey has made its home on the Tigers’ back for quite some time.
But after Thursday night’s result, that 24-year streak was snapped. Behind a swarming defensive effort and clutch free throw shooting down the stretch, the Tigers (8-8, 2-5 SOC III) handed the Pirates a 49-41 loss — the program’s first win over its rival since the turn of the century.
CREDIT: Derrick Webb/SOSA
“I don’t even know if I can put into words how big this win is for our program,” Waverly coach John Bonifield said. “The last two practices that we’ve had are two of the most intense practices we’ve had all year, and maybe two of the most intense I’ve ever had as a coach. So I knew we were ready for tonight. We put in the work to prepare ourselves. We executed, made some free throws down the stretch when it mattered, and made plays to make stops on the other end.”
From the jump, Waverly looked energized.
Bonifield’s crew was constantly on the floor after loose balls, clogged passing lanes with consistency and boxed out under the bucket for rebounds.
“They’re competitors. They want to win,” Bonifield said. “Sometimes, people say they want to win but their work doesn’t match what they’re saying. The last two days, these girls have shown they care. This league is so tough. Nothing comes easy. You have to earn it. We came in with that mindset. We were going to go for 32 minutes and see where we were afterwards.”
Another key to the victory was the tandem of Sadie Royster and Caris Risner.
All year long, Royster made her presence known in every facet of the game. She ended the night with nine points, seven rebounds, five steals and two assists.
Meanwhile, Risner led the team in scoring with 15 points and pulled down nine boards of her own. But where she was most impressive was at the free throw line, where she went 5-of-8 late.
“Those two just fill up the stat sheet and they create havoc,” Bonifield said. “We’ve told them both they need to be aggressive defensively. They can get into passing lanes and create deflections. They’ve bought into it and their pressure tonight helped us tremendously. Sadie can score and she’s got great vision. Caris just finds cracks to get to the bucket. With those two and Paige [O’Bryant], you sometimes take things for granted. They really drive what we do.”
Tale of the tape
Throughout the entire 32 minutes, Waverly held a lead.
Paige O’Bryant gave the Tigers a 1-0 lead with a free throw early before Risner scored at the 6:31 mark in the first quarter. Mia Vastine put Wheelersburg (7-9, 3-4 SOC III) on the board with a free throw before Sara Percorari made it a 5-1 game with a bucket.
That advantage swelled to 15-3 before the Pirates got a 3 from Mylee Gleim with seconds left, making it a 15-6 count heading into the second.
However, Waverly’s offense went cold in the second. Wheelersburg took advantage, using scores from Smith, Gleim and Peyton May to cut the deficit to 19-17 at halftime.
Midway through the third, Smith and Percorari traded baskets for a 25-22 count. Later, Vastine dialed long distance to bring the Pirates to within one at 26-25. But that’s when Royster and O’Bryant answered on the other end, pushing the lead to 30-25 after three quarters.
In the fourth, ‘Burg made one last run. But Waverly was able to withstand the barrage.
After O’Bryant scored four early points to put the Tigers ahead 34-25, Risner nailed two free throws to make it 40-32 at the 4:51 mark. But the Pirates used a mix of Jaylinn Prather, Vastine and Smith to whittle the deficit to 42-40 with 3:08 remaining.
Royster then split a pair of throws at the charity stripe before Risner and O’Bryant followed suit, making it 45-40. And when Royster got a steal and score with 1:05 remaining, it put an exclamation point on a historic victory.
“It feels amazing. It feels good to finally beat [Wheelersburg],” O’Bryant said after the win. “We’ve been so close. Last game, it was a three-point, one-possession game. So it feels so good to finally take that step and get that win.”
Stat book
Following Royster and Risner’s final stat lines was O’Bryant, who tallied 12 points, nine rebounds and three assists. Percorari also chipped in with 10 points while Eyra Co had three points, four rebounds and two assists.
Smith led the Pirates with 14 points alongside seven rebounds while May ended the night with nine points, seven boards and three helpers. Vastine also had an impact before fouling out midway through the fourth quarter with six points, five rebounds and a game-high six assists.
What’s on tap
Wheelersburg will go back to the drawing board and try to get back into the win column on Monday, traveling to Valley. The Tigers return to the floor on Saturday — now with an evened record — hosting Washington Court House.
“We’ve got to clean up a little bit. We get a little loose with the basketball,” Bonifield said. “The turnovers can’t happen against top-tier teams. You can’t have them. We get going a little too fast sometimes and we can’t slow down. We’re thoroughbreds. We want to get out and run. So we’ll work on that, closing out games and running some clock. Winning helps teach that and we’ll reinforce that in practice.”
BOX SCORE
Wheelersburg: 6-11-8-16 — 41
Waverly: 15-4-11-19 — 49
Wheelersburg: 15-49 FG, 5-22 FT, 6-19 3pt., 30 rebounds (May 7, Smith 7), 23 turnovers, 11 assists (Vastine 6). Scoring: Smith 14, May 9, Vastine 6, Gleim 6, Prather 3.
Waverly: 16-48 FG, 17-26 FT, 0-9 3pt., 35 rebounds (O’Bryant 9, Risner 9), 20 turnovers, 8 assists (O’Bryant 3). Scoring: Risner 15, O’Bryant 12, Percorari 10, Royster 9, Co 3.
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