MECHANICSBURG – It’s hard to win them all.
It took 10 games, but the Waynesboro varsity boys’ basketball team finally took an ‘L’. After winning their first nine games of the 2022-23 season, the Indians lost 46-39 to Cumberland Valley on Wednesday in the final game of the 21st annual Sauve Bros. Holiday Basketball Tournament hosted by Mechanicsburg High School.
Waynesboro defeated Mechanicsburg 53-43 the previous day to improve to 9-0.
Then, the next night the Tribe came up short in a low-scoring game against the Eagles, a Class 6A opponent and a good measuring stick regarding Waynesboro’s competitiveness against similarly classified teams.
Waynesboro had a promising start against CV as it took a 15-10 lead after the first quarter.
The Eagles tied the game by halftime 22-22 and took a 32-31 lead into the fourth quarter. Cumberland Valley won the fourth quarter 14-8 and pretty much shut down Waynesboro’s scoring machine, one that has made a habit of demoralizing opponents with points in transition and from the half-court offense.
The Indians were January frigid from the field, making just 10 of 21 two-point field goals and four out of 12 from the three-point arc. Tanyon Shaull made two of the team’s threes, with Ryan Shaffer and Jaylon Bean connecting on one apiece.
Shaffer led the Tribe in scoring with 15 points. Bean had eight points and Michael Young and Shaull each added six points.
Waynesboro committed 17 turnovers compared to 12 by Cumberland Valley. The Eagles were 12 of 19 from the foul line, while the Indians made seven of 10 from the charity stripe.
The Eagles had a 25-23 edge in rebounding. One stat that stands out was Waynesboro recording only two offensive rebounds. CV had nine offensive boards.
On Tuesday, Waynesboro started strong and held off Mechanicsburg the rest of the way. The Indians took a 22-14 lead after the first quarter, and after a fairly even second quarter, took a 31-21 lead into the locker room at halftime.
The Indians added to the lead in the third quarter, outscoring the Wildcats 12-9 to take a 43-30 lead.
Young scored a team-high 17 points. He also had three assists and five rebounds. Bean scored 15 points, including three three-pointers. Shaull had 11 points and had six rebounds.
Waynesboro returns to the hardwood on Tuesday with a road game against Gettysburg. The Indians host Shippensburg on Friday.
