Staff Reports
After a slow start in the first half, the top-ranked Bulldogs got rolling in a big way in the third quarter as they cruised to a 63-55 victory over Montgomery on Tuesday.
Senior X’Zavious Harrison led the Dogs (2-0) with 19 points. Senior guard Tyren Watts finished with 16. Senior Kyren Watts and junior Dillian Scott chipped in eight points apiece. Kolten Snoe added six points. Junior Arthur Reece and Wes Wagner combined to score five points.
After the first half, the Bulldogs and the Bears were deadlocked at 26, but then New Waverly started to find its rhythm.
“It’s always a quality win when you can get one over those guys,” New Waverly head coach Bill Goffney said. “Coach (Don) Johnson has a good program.
“We were a little shaky in the first half and were a little cold shooting the ball. It kept going back and forth.”
New Waverly outscored Montgomery 20-3 in the third quarter, thanks to efficient shooting from 3-point land.
“We were a little cold in the first half,” Goffney said. “Dillian gave us a big spark. Kyren did a good job. X’Zavious hit four 3s, which really helped us get a big lead.
“Defensively, we went with a half-court man defense and the guys did a good job rotating. They couldn’t get any open shots.”
After getting out to a 18-point lead, the Bulldogs began clearing its bench.
“We had subbed all of our guys out and they had gotten the lead down to eight,” Goffney said. “We’re getting better game by game. We’re a little rusty right now and we’ve got a lot to improve on to achieve what we want to.”
New Waverly will play in a tournament in Big Sandy on Thursday. The Bulldogs will open with Goodrich at 1 p.m.
