Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
WAVERLY — 10 games into the season, Waverly has learned some tough lessons — some of which the Tigers have taken on the chin.
They could use youth as an excuse, considering they start four sophomores and a freshman. But that’s not their style.
Instead, they embraces the challenges of learning how to win on the varsity level. Tuesday was the latest example of that.
Four players finished in double-digit scoring figures as Waverly overwhelmed Amanda-Clearcreek in a 62-34 non-conference victory.
CREDIT: Sam Walsh/SOSA
“We’ve had 10 days off since our last game, so you have no idea what you’ll look like as a team after a layoff. But we started the game really well,” Waverly coach Kyle Bradley said. “I hate bringing up youth because it’s my choice to play those guys, so I expect a lot from them. There’s going to be mistakes, immaturity and bad basketball at times. But it’s all part of the growth. Nights like tonight show the type of team we can be on both sides of the ball, and I loved the way we pushed the pace.”
The win marks the 100th victory of Bradley’s coaching career.
“I was showing Sawyer [Myers] a video earlier of one of my former players, Logan Bennett, from when I was at Adena, and I was trying to teach him how to be more comfortable without having his back to the basket,” Bradley said. “It took me back a little bit to where it all started and the journey I’ve been on. But I don’t get to this point without the players. They deserve all of the credit. They’re the ones on the court winning games and I’ve been fortunate to be around some really good players, which makes the job really easy.”
The Tigers (5-5) were out and running early, jumping out to a quick 7-0 lead less than 90 seconds in, following five straight points from Kage Alexander.
Understanding their size and speed advantage, they continued to run the floor behind Alexander, Gunnar Myers, Landyn Russell and Teagan Hurt, turning turnovers into transition buckets on the other end for a 23-12 lead after the first quarter.
The offense slowed down on both sides in the second. However, Waverly’s double-digit lead remained a constant, thanks to its defense. With active hands forcing Amanda-Clearcreek (3-11) into making rushed decisions, the Tigers forced 13 total turnovers in the first half to own a 33-21 lead at halftime.
The Aces, though, weren’t ready to throw in the towel.
After exchanging buckets, Colton Westhoven converted an old-fashioned three-point play, bringing the deficit to 35-26, and putting some pressure on the Tigers in the process.
However, that pressure turned to diamonds for the Tigers. They dialed up the heat behind Alexander and Myers before Hurt canned a triple to end the third on a 13-1 run.
The result was a 48-27 lead after the third. Waverly cruised to victory from that point on.
“We got a lot of defensive stops, and our rebounding was much better,” Bradley said. “There was a point where we gave up six offensive rebounds, including three on one possession in the first half. We stressed getting on the glass to limit their chances of possibly making a comeback and getting out in transition to open the floor.”
Alexander led the Tigers with 19 points, followed by Russell with 13 points. Myers added 12 points and eight rebounds, while Hurt chipped in 11 points.
For Amanda-Clearcreek, Westhoven finished with 11 points and eight rebounds.
Waverly returns to action on Friday for SOC III play at home against Valley before a showdown on Tuesday at Minford. Amanda-Clearcreek travels to Hamilton Township on Saturday.
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