Wildcats Suffer Disappointing Loss in Division III Hoops Action

Western Wayne’s boys varsity basketball team suffered a heartbreaking loss Tuesday night at the Varden Garden.

The Wildcats fell behind early in their Lackawanna League battle with Elk Lake, but then staged a wild second half rally.

Behind an impressive tag-team effort from Nic Baldo & Sean Sheridan, the local lads had a chance to tie in the final seconds.

Sadly for the big partisan crowd, a desperation 3-point try simply wouldn’t go down. Elk Lake survived the scare, hanging on for a 50-47 win.

“This was our third game in four days, so I knew we might be a little tired,” Coach Kenny Hemmler told TWI Sports. “But, the boys gave us a terrific effort. They never quit and we almost stole one there at the end.”

With this disappointing loss, Western Wayne fell to 7-11 on the season. The ‘Cats are 2-1 in second half Division Two action.

Coach Hemmler’s team will be back on the hardwood Friday night when they play host to Montrose. The Meteors captured the first half crown with a 6-1 record.

“It’s going to be a very physical game,” said Coach Hemmler. “The first time we played them, we came out flat and they built up a pretty big lead. But, we played them even-up in the second half.”
Opening tip for this contest is set for 7:30 p.m.

Slow Start
Sheridan scored off the opening tip, drawing a roar from the crowd and giving Western Wayne its first lead.

However, Elk Lake came roaring right back...thanks in large part to the deadeye perimeter shooting of Joey Woolcock and Steve Rezykowski.

Woolcock drilled a pair of early treys and scored 10 of his 16 points in the opening stanza.

Rezykowski was equally impressive. Steve also tallied 16 points on the strength of five field goals, one trey and a perfect 3-for-3 stint at the charity stripe.

Woolcock hit his second 3-pointer of the period, giving the Warriors a 17-8 cushion. At this point, Coach Hemmler was forced to burn a timeout to try and staunch the bleeding.

Sheridan and Siclari immediately responded to their mentor’s in-huddle pleas.

“That’s the best all-round effort we’ve gotten from Sean so far this season,” Coach Hemmler said. “He was really outstanding on the boards.”

Western Wayne’s senior center hauled down 12 re-bounds to lead the team. He also added nine points and three blocks.

Siclari ignited the Wildcat fastbreak. Joey scored three of his first half baskets in transition before tweaking his ankle and leaving the game.

Baldo stepped into that void, leading an early third quarter Wildcat rally.

Nic soared over a pair of Warriors to tip in a missed free throw. Moments later, he brought Varden Garden fans to their feet by drilling back-to-back treys.

“That’s the kind of thing that Nic can do every game,” said Coach Hemmler. “He’ so athletic. When Nic decides he’s going after an offensive rebound, very few players can stop him.”

Baldo finished the night with a team-best 14 points. He also contributed three blocks and eight boards.

Fast Finish
Kevin Karabin and Kevin Botjer helped draw Western Wayne within striking distance late in the game.

Still just a freshman, Karabin stunned Elk Lake defenders by hammering home a pair of fourth quarter treys.

Botjer never batted an eye in the face of Elk Lake’s withering pressure defense. Kevin converted an old-fashioned 3-point play as time wound down in regulation.

The combination of Karabin & Botjer whittled the Warrior lead to three points in the final minute. Unfortunately for the hometown crowd, Elk Lake’s free throw shooting sealed the deal on this one.

The Warriors hit six foul shots down the stretch.

“I’m very pleased with the effort and intensity I saw out there, especially in the second half,” said Coach Hemmler. “We’ve come a long way since last year and we’ll keep working hard to improve even more.”

WW (7-11, 2-1) 47: Baldo 5 2-2 14, Sheridan 4 1-2 9, Siclari 4 0-1 8, Karabin 2 0-0 6, Botjer 3 1-1 7, Brooks 1 0-0 3, Smith 0 0-0 0.
EL (11-7, 3-0) 50: Woolcock 5 4-5 16, Rezykowski 6 3-3 16, Bennett 1 0-0 3, Williams 1 0-0 2, Bush 4 3-4 11, Benscoter 1 0-2 2, Grosvenor 0 0-0 0.

Score by Quarters...
WW  12  8  14  13 - 47
EL    19  9  10  12 - 50