Tioga County Sports ReportLANSING — The Newark Valley boys basketball team started out strong in its Section IV Class B quarterfinal against top-seeded Lansing here Saturday, but a second-quarter blitz by the Bobcats proved costly as the Cardinals fell, 67-44.
NV spread out the scoring in the first quarter and trailed by just two points, 14-12, but Lansing’s surge in the second made it a 35-20 contest at halftime.
“We got off to a good start and I thought the momentum was with us,” coach Scott Stratton said. “But, we struggled to get stops in the second quarter, and on top of that, our offense floundered a bit.
“We were less patient, forced some shots, and even the good looks we got didn’t go in. That Lansing run, combined with the eight-point run they put together in the third quarter, was the difference in the game.”
Tim Wojtysiak accounted for six of NV’s first-half points, Austin Green and Tristan Veruto added four apiece, and Cooper Davis and Nate Hinckley had three each.
The Bobcats extended their advantage to 53-30 heading into the final stanza, and the teams played even through the final eight minutes.
Veruto pumped out eight points for the Cardinals after the break, and Green and Wojtysiak added a half-dozen apiece.
“Despite this playoff loss, the boys finished the season strong,” Stratton said. “We competed with and beat some good teams at the end of the regular season. We even put together a good outing at our scrimmage earlier this week. It felt like we were rolling toward good things, but we just didn't have it tonight.
“I know the boys are disappointed they didn’t compete as well as they would have wanted to, but I'm proud of the strides we made. The guys should be proud of themselves as well.”
Veruto and Wojtysiak led Newark Valley with a dozen points apiece, and Wojtysiak grabbed five rebounds. Green chipped in with 10 points, five rebounds and three steals. Hinckley finished with four points and seven rebounds; Davis had three points, five rebounds and two steals; Wyatt Welch tacked on two points and Josh Benjamin had one point.
Zayden Davis led the Lansing charge with 23 points, including five 3-pointers. Logan Mayo added a trio of threes and tallied up 18 points; and Jackson Tarbert added 10 points.
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IN PHOTO: Tim Wojtysiak. … TCSR STOCK PHOTO.
