Waynesburg takes control early to defeat B-C, 59-41
WAYNESBURG — The Waynesburg Central boys’ basketball squad scored 13 of the game’s opening 16 points and rumbled to a 59-41 victory against Beth-Center Tuesday night in Section 4-AA action.
With the win, the host Raiders (5-3, 2-2) even their section record before the Christmas Break and are playing aggressive on both sides of the ball.
“We are getting the ball to the hoop and being aggressive around the rim,” Waynesburg coach Dave Sarra said. “We got them into some foul trouble and we hit our shots from the line. We got ourselves easier scoring opportunities around the paint tonight.”
Two of Waynesburg’s aggressors in the contest were Dom Sarra and Mitch Warman.
Sarra scored a game-high 23 points with 10 rebounds, while Warman battled for 20 points and 18 rebounds. Jason Zeleny also added eight points in the win.
Waynesburg will be off the rest of the week and hosts Laurel Highlands next Tuesday.
The Bulldogs (3-5, 0-3) are still in search of their first section win and are still trying to find consistency on offense.
B-C was led by 16 points from Bradey McDonnell, followed by Ryan Beyer (eight) and Tyler Ross (seven). The Bulldogs will play in the Carmichaels’ King Coal Lions Club tournament on Friday versus Jefferson-Morgan.
“We just can’t put a complete game together,” B-C coach Gary Amos said.
Sarra and Warman combined for 11 of the Raiders’ 13 points in the opening eight minutes of the game, as Waynesburg held a 13-3 advantage at the end of one.
In the second stanza, the Raiders started the period on an 11-1 spree and took a 24-4 lead after two free throws by Zeleny. Waynesburg shot 9-of-13 from the charity stripe in the first half and 15-of-26 for the game.
The Bulldogs rallied to end the second quarter and went into halftime on a 9-3 run.
“I liked how we played defense tonight,” coach Sarra said. “We always want to make sure that we contest every shot. We can’t afford to give them any open shots because they have a couple of quality shooters. They made a couple of late threes in the second, but we played them well in the first half.”
Sarra tallied a lay-up in the third quarter sandwiched around two treys from B-C’s McDonnell before the Raiders ended the period on a 6-3 rally to build a 42-24 lead going into the fourth.
In the fourth frame, B-C got to the free throw line and scored a game-high 17 points in the quarter, but Waynesburg countered with 17 points to secure the section win.
“We are playing solid team ball,” coach Sarra said. “Colby (Collins) is our defensive stopper and he knows his role. He is usually matched up against the opposing team’s best player and he is very versatile. Dom is key for us offensively with being aggressive in the lane. When he drives, he usually finished his shots or opened up space for other guys.”