Gene Schallenberg
NEW WAVERLY — When at first you don’t succeed, try, try something else. For the New Waverly boys basketball team, this rang especially true Friday night.
Usually an efficient 3-point shooting team, the Dogs had an unusually inefficient game shooting from beyond the arc. They adjusted their style and pulled away from the Franklin Lions for a 91-67 victory.
“We go through these kind of nights,” New Waverly head coach Billy Goffney said. “We shoot the ball, but we’re not really a consistent shooting team all the time.”
Once third-ranked New Waverly (7-0 in District 26-2A, 25-2 overall) realized its shots weren’t falling, the Bulldogs altered their game plan in the third quarter and began penetrating the lane and driving to the basket where they began to have more success.
“We couldn’t hit anything outside, so coach told us just to go to the rim,” Jarvice Sykes said. “I need to practice that anyway, so I just started driving. We just took advantage underneath the goal.”
After opening up the game with a 49-31 first half, the Bulldogs exposed the Franklin defense in the third and expanded their lead, building up to a 26-point advantage.
Despite a late run by the Lions, the Bulldogs didn’t relent and played aggressively until the final horn.
New Waverly had a well-rounded offensive evening, with five starters scoring in double digits. Sykes led all scorers with 20 points. Tyren and Kyren Watts contributed with 15 and 12 points, respectively. Sir. Horace Saulsberry had 14 points, while X’zavious Harrison chipped in 10 points.
The Dogs head to Onalaska on Tuesday to take on the Wildcats in hopes of improving their perfect district record. Tipoff is at 7:30 p.m.
