WAYNESBORO – Waynesboro head coach Tom Hoffman made no attempt to hide his frustration after the Indians fell to Greencastle-Antrim, 61-55, on Monday, Dec. 15.
Hoffman said he hates to lose. Still, he left the game encouraged that his team may have taken a meaningful step forward during a difficult early stretch of the season.
“I hate losing worse than anybody,” Hoffman said. “But if we found our identity tonight, that was worth the loss. I’m hoping in the last eight to 10 minutes we figured out what it’s going to take to be successful.”
Waynesboro dropped its fifth straight game, but the late surge came after the Indians faced a steep deficit. Greencastle-Antrim led 31-12 with just over a minute remaining in the first half and carried a 38-22 advantage into the break.
Alex Albright set the tone early for the Blue Devils. He scored 14 of his game-high points in the first half, knocking down three three-pointers and completing a traditional three-point play as Greencastle-Antrim (4-1) continued its four-game winning streak. Dez Holman and Landen Swain also connected from beyond the arc before halftime.
Albright opened the second half with another three-pointer to extend the lead to 41-22. Bryce Davison followed with a basket to make it 48-28 before Waynesboro began to respond.
The Indians started to chip away late in the third quarter, outscoring Greencastle-Antrim 12-3 over the final three minutes to cut the deficit to 51-41. Dominic Goodworth fueled the run with a pair of three-pointers, including one just before the end of the period.
Rayshawn Frazer-Hewitt opened the fourth quarter with a strong drive to the basket, trimming the margin to 51-43. Although Greencastle-Antrim briefly pushed the lead back to double digits, Waynesboro answered again, scoring 10 of the next 11 points to pull within 56-53 with about 1:30 remaining.
Jayden Tyler knocked down two three-pointers during the surge, while Frazer-Hewitt continued to attack the rim.
Frazer-Hewitt finished with 15 points and combined with Goodworth for 29 points. Carter Hough added nine points. Ryan Jenkins led Waynesboro on the boards with eight rebounds, and Nate Nystrom collected six.
Hoffman said the late rally reinforced the need for a more balanced offensive approach.
“We have to get back to playing inside-out basketball,” Hoffman said. “We’ve been just chucking threes, and that’s my fault. What you allow to happen becomes acceptable. I thought maybe that’s how we needed to play, but it wasn’t working.”
Waynesboro returns to action Wednesday at Shippensburg, with tipoff scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
Photos by Toya McCleary:
