WAYNESBORO – Go ahead and check off the first goal of the Waynesboro Area Senior High School boys’ varsity basketball team.
Five players scored in double digits on Friday night as the Indians pulled away from the Gettysburg Warriors in the second half on their way to a 73-53 Mid-Penn Colonial Division victory. In the process, Waynesboro sealed the division title with two league games to play (Shippensburg and Greencastle-Antrim).
Jaylon Bean led an efficient scoring attack for Waynesboro with 20 points. Cooper Hough tallied 16 points, including four three-point field goals. Ryan Shaffer followed with 14 points, while Michael Young finished with 11 points and Tanyon Shaull added 10 points.
“They knew how to play, they’re all solid basketball players and knew how to pass, they made us look silly,” said Waynesboro head coach Tom Hoffman. “We prepared for it, too. We couldn’t stop it. Both games we had to go to zone. Obviously, it was 19-8 in the second quarter, so that helped.”
Gettysburg came out and gave Waynesboro all it could handle and then some. The Warriors were scoring from the inside and the outside and took an 11-5 lead midway through the first quarter.
It was an unusual position for the Tribe, playing from behind. In the minds of the players, the deficit wasn’t unmanageable, not like the gaps between Waynesboro and opposing teams that have triggered the continuous clock in several games.
Turns out the Indians (17-1) tied the game and took the lead for good in a matter of minutes spanning the latter part of the first period and early part of the second quarter.
Shaffer knocked down a three-pointer and got an assist on a Shaull layup to make it 11-10. After the Warriors made a three-pointer, Bean picked up an offensive rebound and put it back up, and Hough dished to Shaffer for a layup to tie the game at 14-14.
Gettysburg called a time out with 2:06 left in the opening stanza, and the Warriors responded with a basket and the lead again. A trifecta by Hough gave Waynesboro a 19-18 lead, but Gettysburg took a 21-19 lead after the first eight minutes.
“It’s been one of those weird years when we haven’t spent a lot of time behind. We didn’t blink, and I’m really proud of that.”
The first period turned into the second period, and the Indians went on a 14-5 run to forge a 33-26 lead. The lead was 38-29 at halftime.
Waynesboro’s advantage grew to 54-37 by the end of the third period and was 65-49 with just under three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.
In addition to scoring 16 points, Hough had seven assists and two steals. Shaffer had four assists, two blocked shots and two steals. Bean had two assists, four rebounds, two blocks and four steals.
“It’s a senior group that has been through some battles,” Hoffman said. “They just needed to get their wits about them and start guarding a little better and let the game come to them a little more.”
