Weaver leads Pioneers to 70-54 victory
Darnell Graham
Darnell Graham Waynesburg Central Darton McIntire (10) goes up for a shot despite pressure from West Greene’s Craig Weaver (35) during Friday’s non-section contest at Waynesburg Central High School.
Darnell Graham
West Greene’s Nathan Brudnock (12) brings the ball up court against Waynesburg Central in a game last year.
Darnell Graham
Waynesburg Central Richard Bortz (24) rushes by West Greene’s Joey Reed (4) during their non-section game Friday at Waynesburg Central High School.
WAYNESBURG — West Greene’s boys basketball team won three of its first games to get off to a quick start in following up a playoff appearance last year.
On the other hand, Waynesburg Central, with the loss of center Mitch Warman to injury, has found the going tough in the early season.
West Greene’s Craig Weaver recorded a double-double last Friday night with 24 points and 18 rebounds in the Pioneers’ 70-54 victory over Waynesburg Central in a non-section game.
After suffering their first loss of the season to Carmichaels on Tuesday, the Pioneers (3-1) had seven players reach the score sheet, scored in double figures every quarter and were more consistent on both ends of the floor.
Nathan Brudnock scored 15 of his 17 points in the second half, while Kolton Rush and Zach McHenry chipped in with 12 and nine, respectively.
“It was a back-and-forth game in the first half,” West Greene coach Jim Romanus said. “The biggest adjustment we made was moving Nathan in the middle on offense. Their guards were pushing us to the sides, so we moved Kolton to the guard spot and let Nathan use his athleticism at the free throw line. We got some gaps and we were able to make enough plays on offense.”
Darton McIntire poured in a game-high 33 points for the Raiders (0-4), while Lucas Garber added 11.
Weaver started the contest with three straight baskets and forced Waynesburg to call a timeout.
“I’m proud of the way we fought back tonight,” Waynesburg Central coach Kirk King said. “So far this season the first quarter hasn’t been kind to us and we get in some double-digit deficits. We are pretty young and inexperienced across the board, so this is a feeling out process for us. I like our fight, we just have to start better.”
After a hoop by McIntire, the Pioneers ended the opening quarter on a 10-1 run. Weaver had nine points in the period, as the visitors carried a 16-3 lead into the second quarter.
“When teams allow us to run our offense, we are pretty good,” Romanus said. “It doesn’t matter if it’s man or zone, we have a lot of different options that can score consistently. When we get helter-skelter and start to throw the ball around, we will struggle. We did a good job of identifying mismatches and got Craig some good touches in the paint.”
The Raiders bounced back in the second quarter with eight unanswered points to bring the deficit to 16-11, but the Pioneers countered with an 11-8 scoring margin the rest of the quarter for a 27-19 lead at intermission.
Waynesburg went on a 13-7 spurt in the third quarter to bring West Greene’s lead down to 34-32 after a free throw by Collin Rose, but the Pioneers responded right back with the final nine points of the period, including a trey by Brudnock in the waning seconds for a 45-32 lead.
A total of 47 points were scored in the final eight minutes of action, but the Raiders couldn’t cut into the Pioneers lead after the visitors countered with scoring runs of their own.
Brudnock had eight points in fourth, while Weaver and Rush chipped in with six each in the period. Joey Reed also had five critical points in the second half for West Greene off the bench.
“We have been in a lot of close games over the last three seasons,” Romanus said.
“These kids have experience in tight games. McIntire is a phenomenal player and I thought Zach (McHenry) did a solid job on him. He got his points, but our goal was to stop their other kids. I was really proud that we were able to compose ourselves and pull away late for the win.”
McIntire recorded 13 points in the final quarter, ending his night with four shots from beyond the arc. He was 10-for-10 at the free throw line.
“I thought we were at our best in the middle quarters,” King said. “Our defense got things turned around for us and forced some turnovers. We got some shots to fall for us and that got us back into the game. I’m never going to be negative with these kids, there’s always something positive to get out of every game. We have to continue to work and get better every night.”