WAYNESBORO – It wouldn’t be basketball season without Pack the House Night.
And boy did they pack the house.
In what has become a much-anticipated night on the Waynesboro Area Senior High School basketball schedule, both boys’ and girls’ varsity teams defeated Big Spring on Friday night in front of, you guessed it, a packed house.
The centerpiece for the game is the students, who made up a healthy portion of those in attendance. The crowd of boys and girls from Fairview, Hooverville, Mowrey and Summitview elementary schools, Waynesboro Area Middle School and the high school made for a loud and memorable contest.
Players were introduced with the name of the elementary school they attended.
It was also Senior Night, and the Indians have seven: Michael Young, Cooper Hough, Ryan Shaffer, Tanyon Shaull, Jaylon Bean, Jevon McIver and Evan Stein.
The Maidens edged the Lady Bulldogs 40-38, while the Indians won the nightcap game 47-39.
It was a much different game this time around for coach Tom Hoffman’s team against Big Spring. The Indians steamrolled past the Bulldogs on Dec. 20 in Newville by the score of 64-25. What a difference time makes.
Big Spring must have bookmarked Northern York’s game plan to slow down the game and prevent Waynesboro from piling on points in transition as well as on the perimeter and in the paint.
On Tuesday, the Indians escaped from Dillsburg with a 46-44 win over Northern.
Waynesboro, perhaps feeling the cumulative pressure of keeping the wins coming (the Tribe is now 15-1 overall and 9-0 in the Mid-Penn Colonial Division), trailed Big Spring 22-20 at halftime.
But the Indians got their wits about them in the second half, outscoring the Bulldogs 12-6 in the third quarter and 15-11 in the fourth period.
The game saw lots of free throws. Big Spring was 14 for 15 from the line; Waynesboro made 13 of its 18 foul shots.
The Tribe, who plays at James Buchanan on Tuesday, sank six three-point field goals and were led in scoring by Young, Shaffer and Shaull – all with 11 points apiece.
Shaffer was the Chairman of the Boards a he had eight rebounds.
As for the Maidens, they seem to thrive on the adrenaline rush of close games. Waynesboro came away with a 41-39 win at Big Spring in December, and Waynesboro matched the outcome on Friday.
It was the Maidens sixth win of the season.
Waynesboro trailed 8-5 after one quarter and rallied to lead 17-16 at halftime.
The Maidens kept hold of the lead heading into the fourth quarter, 33-29, and held on for the victory.
Nikki Davis led the Maidens in scoring with 12 points. Slaydon Fisher and Za’Mariah Diggs were close behind with 11 and 10 points, respectively.
