WAYNESBORO – There’s a nifty saying that goes like this: “One good turn deserves another.”
The words fit like a glove for Wednesday’s varsity boys’ basketball game between the Waynesboro Indians and Middletown Blue Raiders.
On Jan. 10, Middletown thrashed Waynesboro, 58-39, on the West Shore of the Susquehanna River. In the words of Waynesboro head coach Tom Hoffman, “the last time we played them, they took us to the woodshed.”
You know what they say: “One good turn deserves another.”
And so it goes.
The Indians started with a 6-0 lead, led 20-9 after the first quarter, and held off one comeback attempt after another to defeat the Blue Raiders, 58-42, nearly equaling the point differential of their previous game.
The win was Waynesboro’s sixth in a row.
If Middletown (13-8) took Waynesboro to the woodshed, then the Indians took the Blue Raiders to the outhouse before a boisterous and vocal student section.
In a game that seemed like it was a back-and-forth contest, it only seemed that way. That’s because maybe everyone was expecting the proverbial “bubble to burst, another popular saying. That didn’t happen.
Oh, and it was Senior Night. Due to impending ice and freezing rain in the forecast, only varsity played starting at 6 p.m. The senior recognition portion of the night was held after the game. There were eight seniors on the 2024-25 team: Eric Jacobs, Joey Long, Julian Mencia, Hayden Nolan, Farin Parks, Lucas Parkinson, Sam Starkey and Alex Torbica.
Waynesboro was efficient and effective in every phase of the game. One of the big reasons the Tribe (12-8) came out on the winning side was the intense inside play of the post players Hoffman mentioned, with Torbica coming out smelling like a rose. Torbica scored 16 tough points, mostly with two or three defensive players draped over him like a heavy curtain. He was 5-for-5 from the field and made six of 11 foul shots.
Thanks to strong guard play from point man Carter Hough, who played a masterful game of keep away from a frustrated Middletown defense, Waynesboro’s perimeter players were able to whirl the ball around like a speeding carousel while the inside players were setting screens and working to get open near the cylinder.
“I don’t know if it’s anything new, but we did it really well,” Hoffman said. “We always want to play inside-out. I thought our post guys like Alex, Nate, Joey, and Ryan really played with a lot of energy and intensity and physicality.
“When we were up there, they literally took us to the woodshed. I mean it was one of the worst defeats we probably have had in my time here. It was a total meltdown.”
Eight different players scored for Waynesboro, including Parks with nine, Mencia and Rashawn Frazer-Hewtt with seven and Nate Nystrom with seven.
The win streak started after a last-second 54-53 loss to South Western on Jan. 15.
“For us to respond the way we have, and really over the past three weeks the way we have been playing is really a cool thing,” Hoffman explained. “I’m really, really proud of them. We’ll see if our best is still able to hang with a couple of really good teams. We’re excited to see where we stack up though. With every good challenge lies a good opportunity.”
Those two good teams are Carlisle on Friday and Chambersburg on Monday. Both games are on the road.
