WAVERLY SCORES 27 STRAIGHT POINTS IN 62-19 WIN OVER NOTRE DAME

By: Tim Birney | Waverly Athletics | December 16, 2021 | Photo courtesy Tim Birney

WAVERLY—Waverly scored 27 unanswered points in a run that bridge the first two quarters, and cruised to a 62-19 win over Notre Dame here Thursday night in IAC South Large School Division girls basketball action.

Junior Kennedy Westbrook's conventional three-point play nearly three minutes into the game gave Waverly a 3-0 lead, but Notre Dame's Shannon Maloney answered with a short jumper off the glass on the next trip down the court to make it 3-2.

Senior Olivia Nittinger canned a 3-pointer, and freshman Addison Westbrook turned a steal into a lay-up to give the Lady Wolverines an 8-2 lead with 3:55 remaining in the first quarter.

Jordan Fargo knocked down a short baseline jumper for the Lady Crusaders with 3:12 left in the first quarter to trim the deficit to 8-4, but they wouldn't score again for nearly 11 minutes.

Nittinger drained a 3-pointer about 20 seconds later to spark an 11-0 spurt to close the opening stanza. Addison Westbrook closed out the first-quarter scoring with a 3-pointer to make it 19-4.

Nittinger knocked down another 3-pointer, off an assist from sophomore Paige Robinson, with 3:45 remaining in the first half to extend Waverly's lead to 25-4.

Less than a minute later, Nittinger and Addison Westbrook canned back-to-back 3-pointers in a 10-second span to extend the lead to 33-4 with 2:49 left in the first half.

Nittinger kept it rolling with a 3-pointer, and sophomore Peyton Shaw capped the 27-0 blitz with a putback on the offensive boards to make it 38-4 with 55 seconds remaining in the half.

A free throw by Maloney with 20 seconds left broke Notre Dame's scoring drought.

After a three-point play by senior Lourden Benjamin, and back-to-back fast-break buckets by Kennedy Westbrook put Waverly up 45-5, Payton Rimany-Miller canned a 3-pointer from the wing for Notre Dame's first field goal in 15 1/2 minutes.

Nittinger led Waverly with 20 points, including six 3-pointers, while Addison Westbrook had 16 points, including a trio of 3-pointers, five steals, and three rebounds, and Kennedy Westbrook added 14 points, four steals, and two assists.

Benjamin scored six points in the win, and  Shaw grabbed four rebounds.

Maloney led Notre Dame with 10 points, and Fargo added four.

Waverly, now 3-1, travels to Horseheads Monday.

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IN PHOTO 1: Waverly's Kennedy Westbrook. … PHOTOS BY TIM BIRNEY.