Jan 16, 2025
Tyler Consolidated’s Brady Strode, middle, is sandwiched defensively by Williamstown’s Tyler Keiser, left, and Carson Hill during Wednesday’s game at Williamstown High School. (Photo by Kerry Patrick)
WILLIAMSTOWN – Playing without their second-leading leading scorer and seeking to rebound from a pair of losses during last weekend’s trip to Logan High School, Williamstown found itself trailing Tyler Consolidated by five points in the latter part of the first quarter during a Little Kanawha Conference affair on Wednesday night..
A 6-0 run to cap the opening period gave the Yellowjackets new life then took the Silver Knights out of their comfort zone by showing a full-court zone press at the start of the second quarter and resulting in a 180-degree turnaround.
Behind 17 points from Jayden Bryant and another 12 points from point guard Cruz Isaly, Williamstown improved to 5-3 after posting a 66-43 win.
A total of three Williamstown players scored in double figures as Wyatt Powell came off the bench with 10 points, including the final four Yellowjacket points of the first quarter.
Williamstown senior Parker Schramm, who averages 16.7 points per game, sat on the bench in casual gear. The coaching staff elected to hold him out due to leg soreness. He is expected to return to the starting lineup Saturday afternoon when the Yellowjackets host Scott.
Williamstown point guard Cruz Isaly (24) is guarded by Tyler Consolidated’s Brody Giovinazzo during Wednesday’s game at Williamstown High School. (Photo by Kerry Patrick)
“Playing those two games this past weekend was good for us – when you play good teams, that identifies weaknesses,” Williamstown coach Scott Sauro said. “We are staring to hone in on things that we can get better at. We weren’t a finished product in this game either, but we just need to keep working on things.”
Four different starters contributed in the scoring column as Tyler built a 12-7 lead at just under the three-minute mark. Williamstown didn’t help their cause by turning the ball over five times in the first eight minutes of the game as opposed to one for Tyler.
The option to apply the press at the start the second quarter did just enough to take Tyler out of its gameplan. The Yellowjackets also forced five turnovers during those next eight minutes leading into halftime.
Bryant and Isaly combined for 13 points as Williamstown outscored the Knights 18-3 over the final six minutes of the opening half.
At the break, Williamstown led 36-18.
Tyler Consolidated’s Zayden Hardbarger looks for his shot in front of Williamstown’s Carson Hill during Wednesday’s game at Williamstown High School. (Photo by Kerry Patrick)
“We upped the pressure a little bit and I thought it was effective for us,” Sauro said. “But we can’t just be a pressing team. We need to be able to guard in the half-court. When you get to March there will be a lot of half-court possessions – whether the ball goes out on the sidelines at halfcourt or timeouts. Stuff like that.
“You have to be able to guard in the half-court and that’s what we are trying to hone in on right now.”
In addition to finding success on the defensive end, Williamstown connected on 10-of-16 from the floor in the second quarter and finished the game 25-of-45 (56%) – including 8-of-16 (50%) from beyond the 3-point arc.
“We were ourselves in the first quarter – they switched into zone, which is something we have seen before,” Tyler coach Mark Winters said. “Our first six games this year, we shot the ball great against the zone. It was not a concern of ours. I think we got way too quick. We really wanted to focus on patient possessions and getting ball reversals, but let a little bit of pressure took away from who we are.
“We settled for shots which were uncharacteristic for us.”
Williamstown’s Jayden Bryant drives baseline during Wednesday’s game at Williamstown High School. (Photo by Kerry Patrick)
Isaly knocked the first two buckets of the second half as part of a Williamstown 8-0 run. Coach Sauro then filtered through his bench for the remaining 3 ½ minutes of the third quarter.
Dominic Strcula’s buzzer-beat from 3-point land gave Williamstown a 53-29 lead with one quarter remaining.
Starters from the respective teams returned to the floor for the first four minutes of the final period then made a permanent exit with the Knights trailing 60-38.
Brady Strode led Tyler with nine points, while Garrett Bordenkircher and Cole LeMasters each pitched in eight points.
Winters, a Magnolia alum, will meet his former school on Friday as part of the first of two days at the Tyler Consolidated High School Roundball Classic. In his second season at Tyler, Winters is seeking his first win against his former coach with the Blue Eagles, Dave Tallman.
Tyler Consolidated’s Cole LeMasters (5) gets a step ahead of Williamstown’s Jayden Bryant during Wednesday’s game at Williamstown High School. (Photo by Kerry Patrick)
“Coach Tallman is like a father figure to me,” Winters said. “He coached me, and we are still best of friends. It’s always special for me. It’s a long-standing rival and the kids get excited for it, and the communities get excited for it. It’s so cool how things come full circle with basketball.
“Our teams are well-matched, so it should be an exciting game.
Contact Kerry Patrick at kpatrick@newsandsentinel.com
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