By Gene Schallenberg
NEW WAVERLY — If the Bulldogs haven’t already made space in the trophy case, they can do so now.
In the final home game of the season, New Waverly drubbed district rival Corrigan-Camden 73-54 on Friday. The blowout win sealed an outright district championship for the third straight season and a bye in the bi-district round of the playoffs.
It was also the first step for the Bulldogs toward getting back to the playoffs and the state tournament in Austin. The next task is wrapping up the regular season against Buffalo next week, then it’s on to the playoffs.
“We’ve got to take it one step at a time,” said New Waverly senior post Kyren Watts, who scored 14 points. “We can’t take anybody lightly, which we won’t. We know we’re going to work our tails off at practice. You practice how you play. Hard work pays off.”
Corrigan-Camden scored two of the game’s first three baskets on jump shots from Tyler Martin, but it was all New Waverly from that point on. The Bulldogs went on a 21-5 run to close out the quarter.
Once the top-ranked Bulldogs extended their lead to more than 20 points, the closest Corrigan-Camden could narrow the gap to was 14 points in the final minute of the second quarter.
After the break, the Dogs scored the first eight points to hold a 49-25 advantage.
The Bulldogs struggled to hit jump shots in the second half and Watts had quite a battle on his hands against Corrigan-Camden posts Shamel Baldwin and Martin for loose rebounds to give New Waverly second-chance opportunities.
“That’s always going to be an area of concern,” New Waverly head coach Bill Goffney said. “In the playoffs, you’re going to have to go inside and be able to bang around and get points in the paint.
“That was good to see KY do that tonight. As long as we’re finishing around the basket, that’s a good thing.”
X’Zavious Harrison led the Dogs (13-0 in District 21-2A, 26-3 overall) with 15 points, hitting three 3-pointers along the way. Tyren Watts finished with 13 points. Kolten Snoe scored seven points. Dillian Scott chipped in six points. Point guard Arthur Reece added five points. Isaiah Gilliam, Josh Durriseau, Jonathan Reece and Victor Bennett all contributed with 3 points each and Cole Bohannon added a point.
The victory was also the 17th consecutive win for New Waverly this season and the 42nd straight district win dating back to the regular-season finale of the 2006-07 season.
With a win on Tuesday, the Bulldogs can run the table in district for a third year in a row and keep that streak alive.
“That’s something we wanted,” Goffney added. “You don’t play the game if you don’t want to be the best. That’s what we want to do. We want to be the best we could possibly be. That’s why we work so hard in the summertime and the springtime. That’s why we do it.”
Tipoff for Tuesday’s game in Buffalo is set for 7 p.m.
Lady Dogs playoff update
Finally, the New Waverly girls basketball team know who their first-round opponent will be in the playoffs.
The Lady Dogs, the second-place finisher out of District 21-2A, will face the Kirbyville Lady Wildcats, who defeated Newton 48-43 on Friday in a tiebreaker for third place in District 22-2A.
The Lady Bulldogs, who advanced to the playoffs after blasting Groveton on Tuesday, will play the Lady Wildcats on either Monday or Tuesday.
The bi-district contest is tentatively scheduled for 6 p.m. on Monday at Angelina College in Lufkin.
