Kendall Sury scores 21 points as Wildcats top Rebels 50-37
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WATERFORD -- Waterford avenged last season's district final loss to South Gallia, defeating the Rebels 50-37 in Saturday's regular season game at the Harry Cooper Annex.
Kendall Sury led all scorers with 21 points to help lead the Wildcats, who improved to 8-1 on the year. Avery Wagner chipped in a 12-point, 12-rebound double-double to go along with a game-high six blocks. Laykyn Jones finished with six points, six boards, three assists and two steals while Avery Smithberger added seven points and eight rebounds.
Waterford led 8-2 after the first quarter as South Gallia (6-3) missed its first 13 shot attempts. The Rebels started to get things going in the second quarter, outsourcing the Wildcats 14-9 to cut their deficit to 17-16 by halftime.
After Waterford's Elsie Malec opened the third quarter with a putback bucket, South Gallia scored eight straight points, including back-to-back 3-pointers by Madison Summers and Morgan Lyons, to open up its largest lead of the game at 24-19.
The Wildcats, however, responded with a 7-0 run of their own, including five straight points by Surym to go back on top 26-24. A trey by Summers gave the Rebels their final lead of the night, 29-28, going into the fourth.
Sury opened the final period with six straight points. Wagner followed with a basket to put WHS up 36-29. Twice in the final five minutes, South Gallia cut the lead to five, but that's as close as the Rebels could get as the Wildcats scored 11 of the game's final 14 points.
South Gallia, which defeated Waterford 48-46 in last season's district championship game at Piketon High School, was led by Jacie Boothe's 10 points. Macie Sanders added eight while Tori Triplett chipped in seven points, nine rebounds, six assists and six steals. Lyons, who scored 21 points the last time these two teams met, was limited to just five points but did grab a team-high 10 boards.
The Jerry Close-coached Wildcats hit the road Thursday when they visit Belpre for a big-time TVC Hocking matchup.