STAC BASKETBALL: OWEGO RALLIES, STUMBLES LATE IN OT LOSS TO WAVERLY (January 25, 2026)

Tioga County Sports Report
OWEGO — The Owego boys basketball team rallied from an early deficit only to drop a 68-63 overtime battle to Waverly in STAC Central Division action here Saturday.

The River Hawks managed just seven points in OT while Waverly rode the 4-point efforts of Porter Daddona, and Ben and Hogan Shaw in the extra session to victory.

Daddona led a balanced attack to open the game to give the Wolverines a 21-16 advantage. He accounted for five points in the first quarter while the Shaws and Braiden Jusdon added four points each.

Calvin Smith paced Owego with seven points on the strength of a pair of 3-pointers.

The teams were evenly matched in Q2 as the Wolverines went into halftime ahead, 37-32.

Carter Rieg and Smith paced the River Hawks with seven and six points, respectively. Smith knocked down two more treys in the period, and Rieg and Kingston Brainard tacked on one apiece.

Hogan Shaw had five for the visitors, and he and Jack Pipher had one 3-pointer each.

Owego surged ahead in the third quarter, 49-48, as Rieg hit for another seven points, adding his third trey of the game. Smith tacked on his fifth three-ball.

Daddona had another five points for the Wolverines, including his second trey.

Defense took over in the fourth quarter as Waverly held an 8-7 edge to force the extra session. Ben Shaw and the River Hawks’ Duke Snyder had three points apiece for their respective teams.

Snyder put up four points in OT and Smith tacked on his sixth 3-pointer of the day, but couldn't offset the Daddona-Shaw-Shaw connection.

Free throw shooting would play a key role in the game as Waverly went 26-for-39 at the free throw line and Owego was just 7-for-13.

The Wolverines had an opportunity to end the game in regulation, but only went 2-for-7 (29 percent) at the line in the fourth after making 70 percent of their attempts (70 percent) through the first three quarters.

Of course, when you send the opponent to the charity stripe that many times, the fallout is going to hurt you. Rieg, Atlas Boland and Nolan Card all fouled out.

Coach Chris Evans called it an overtime classic at OFA.

“All credit to Waverly and their staff,” he said. “They made the big plays when it mattered. Interestingly enough, Waverly shot 39 free throws while we shot 13. You kind of expect that if the game had been there.

“We just have to foul less, I suppose. Rieg, Smith and Schneider were excellent, but three of our players fouling out was just too much to overcome.”

The River Hawks did hold a distinct advantage in 3-pointers, making 10 to Waverly’s four.

Rieg and Smith claimed scoring honors with 19 points apiece. Snyder chipped in with 10 points, King had seven, Card added six and Shay Pidcoe tacked on two.

Waverly received a 17-point effort from Daddona with Hogan Shaw adding 15 and Ben Shaw contributing 14. Judson and Pipher added seven apiece, Carter Davies pitched in with four, and Bryce Laforest and Carson Rockwell added two points each.

Waverly improved to 5-3 in the Central and 9-4 overall while Owego slipped to 2-6 in the Central and 4-8 overall.

Next up for the River Hawks are road games Wednesday at Susquehanna Valley and Saturday at Chenango Valley.

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IN PHOTO: Calvin Smith. … TCSR STOCK PHOTO.

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