IAC BOYS BASKETBALL: NEWARK VALLEY OVERCOMES SLOW START, PULLS AWAY FROM DRYDEN FOR 61-43 VICTORY (January 27, 2026)
By TIM TAYLOR
Tioga County Sports Report
NEWARK VALLEY — Newark Valley overcame a slow start offensively to pull away from Dryden for a 61-43 Senior Recognition victory in IAC Large School boys basketball action here Tuesday.
It was the defense which kept the Cardinals close when the shots weren’t falling in the first quarter — and it was the defense which shut the visitors down and thwart a third-period comeback bid.
“We really tried to mix up the defenses and the personnel on the floor just to kind of keep them on their toes and that's been the game plan all the way through that game right there,” coach Scott Stratton said.
“The nice thing was we were able to get a whole bunch of different guys some looks off the bench and put them in positions defensively where we knew that they could help us and kind of stuck to some of our basics for the most part.
“We tried to throw some curveballs at Dryden tonight. We really focused on the Oliver kid and the Battaglia kid, just the two shooters, and we did an okay job on them ... they kind of broke out for 15 and 12, so it wasn't perfect.”
NV led by as many as 19 points, 38-19, near the midway point of the third quarter before the Purple Lions cut the gap to 47-40 early in the final frame.
“There was that little lull, like offensively, where we weren't getting anything going,” Stratton said. “It felt like we were getting okay looks, but they just weren't dropping. We weren't getting anything defensively in transition, so no tips, no steals, no transition fast breaks, and the half court was kind of struggling. And to boot, we were giving up too much on the other end defensively, and that's where they really made the game there for a minute.”
Joe Oliver pumpied out 10 points in the third, including a pair of 3-pointers, and Valentino Battaglia finished off Dryden’s comeback attempt with a 3-pointer.
That’s when the Cardinals found a final burst of energy to end the game on a 14-3 run. Tim Wojtysiak ignited the burst with a 3-pointer, then Nate Hinckley hit for a basket, followed by Tristan Veruto’s conventional 3-point play and a bucket for 57-40 advantage as the game headed into the final two minutes.
“That was all defense,” Stratton said. “We played a little three-quarter court trap and got a couple turnovers. I felt like we got like two or three turnovers and buckets in a row. That's the game of basketball. It's a game of runs and we just happened to make a run right at that moment when the game was getting tight again. Hats off to the kids for playing tough D.”
Oliver stopped the NV surge with a 3-pointer, making it 57-43, then the Cardinals’ Cooper Davis and Veruto scored the game’s final two baskets.
Newark Valley struggled to find the inside of the rim in the first quarter, shooting less than 25 percent from the field as Dryden grabbed an 11-6 lead with the help of a Battaglia three-ball.
Things began to turn around for the Cardinals when Davis scored on a steal and layup with six seconds remaining in the period, then Hinckley knocked down a buzzer-beating trey from the corner to knot the score at 11.
The momentum carried over into the second quarter when Wojtysiak nailed an early 3-pointer and followed up with a field goal for a 16-11 lead.
With the score 16-12, NV went on a 12-3 run with Davis, Veruto and Wojtysiak accounting for four points apiece.
Veruto capped off the Cardinals’ second-period effort with an entertaining reverse-like fingertip roll basket after leaping to snag a teammate’s airball, giving the home team a 30-17 lead.
Newark Valley would take a 30-19 lead into the second half and score the first eight points of the third quarter.
Wojtysiak led all scorers with 18 points.
“Timmy had a nice game, and I don't have the stats in front of me, but I felt like he was making plays and knocking down shots at the same time,” Stratton said.
Veruto and Davis hit for double digits as well — Veruto for 15 and Davis for 11.
“Anytime you're going to have three guys in double figures, you're bound to put up enough points to possibly win the game,” said Stratton. “It's just a matter of, did you get enough stops defensively, and tonight we just happened to.”
Hinckley added eight points, Austin Green chipped in with four, Wyatt Welch added a 3-pointer and Josh Benjamin tacked on two points.
Hinckley and Wojtysiak knocked down two 3-pointers apiece.
Oliver (15 points) and Battaglia (12 points) accounted for three 3-pointers each for the Lions.
NV hosts Sidney Wednesday night in a varsity-only tilt at 6 p.m.
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IN PHOTO 1: Tim Wojtysiak. IN TOP PHOTO: Tristan Veruto (10) and Nate Hinckley. … PHOTOS BY TIM TAYLOR.
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