WHEELING, W.Va. – Williamstown took advantage of 16 first half turnovers to build a lead it never relinquished in a 74-64 win over Weir at the Linsly MLK Classic. With the win, the Yellow Jackets (10-0) remain the only unbeaten team in Class AA.
“This is a good win for us. Weir is a really good team. They’d won five of six coming in with a good balance of between guard play and interior play. We knew this would be a tough game against a quality opponent. We’re really happy to win this game,” said Williamstown Head Coach Scott Sauro.
Coming into the game, Weir had won five of its last six games, with its only loss in that stretch coming against Linsly on Jan. 10.
Senior Alex Irvin led three players in double figures with 23 points and four three-pointers on the day. Sophomore Parker Schramm finished with 18 points including a three and sophomore Jaden Bryant connected on three shots beyond the arc to finish with 14 points.
“We have a young team but they’re picking it up pretty quick,” Sauro said. “We play 11 guys regularly and have had six different kids lead us in scoring. We have all these different guys who can be the threat. That’s ideally what we’re after, a balanced team that is hard to guard.”
In addition to the balanced scoring, Williamstown’s relentless defensive pressure forced Weir (6-6) into a plethora of mistakes. The Yellow Jackets converted the Red Riders’ miscued into scoring opportunities in the second quarter. Williamstown used the turnovers to build an eight point lead at halftime.
“We try to play a fast tempo. We have a couple of pressures that we use in the full-court and so far its been one of the keys to our success.”
Aside from the second quarter, Weir pushed the undefeated Yellow Jackets playing nearly even throughout the remainder of the game. Senior Damarr Turner and junior Collin Cross led Weir with 17 points each but the Red Riders could only get as close as eight points in the in the final minute of the game.
“For as young as we are, I’m pretty pleased with where we are. We still have a long way to go. So far, so good. We got to get a little bit better defensively, got to get better offensively and we’ll keep working to get there.”
Both teams have quick turnarounds. Williamstown faces Little Kanawha Conference opponent Wahama tomorrow night. Weir plays host to intra-country rival Oak Glen.