Waynesburg wins, stays in hunt for section title
BENTLEYVILLE – Waynesburg sophomore forward Mitch Warman is not usually the biggest player on the basketball court. The Raiders won’t intimidate opponents with their size, but height is not everything because of the relentless effort Waynesburg displays on both ends of the court.
It’s a part of Waynesburg’s game that Bentworth head coach Bob Kennedy noticed the first time the teams played.
Kennedy even coached Warman this past summer and made a concerted effort to stop the 6-2 bruising post player but without success.
Warman scored a game-high 17 points and grabbed 13 of Waynesburg’s 40 rebounds to lead Raiders over the Bearcats, 51-29, in a Section 4-AA game.
“We’re not a big team,” Waynesburg head coach Dave Sarra said. “Mitch just loves to rebound. The players who are great at rebounding love to do it and that’s how he is. He gets to the ball.”
Behind Warman, Waynesburg (6-2, 11-4) outrebounded Bentworth, 40-21, and capitalized on second-chance points. The Raiders jumped out to a 9-0 lead and led 16-6 at the end of the first quarter after Warman’s put-back in the final two minutes against a double-team.
“Down low is where I do most of my work,” Warman said. “I’m not a great outside shooter so I take advantage down there. We had a lot of good passing in that first half and we got open shots.”
The sophomore then scored the first five points of the second quarter to give the Raiders a 15-point lead, and senior guard Dom Sarra scored seven of his 13 points during the quarter. Kennedy attempted to make adjustments to stop Warman, including two players shadowing the forward in the lane, but to not avail.
“I couldn’t get my guys to do what I wanted them to,” Kennedy said. “I’m not surprised by the game (Warman) had. I’ve coached him. He’s a heck of a player.”
Warman grabbed five rebounds in the eight-minute span and Waynesburg capitalized on Bentworth’s errant shooting. The Raiders made frequent defensive adjustments, but their focus was containing Bearcats senior guard Angelo Rios-Lopez.
Using a box-and-one defense, the 5-10 sharpshooter was held to 12 points as the Raiders limited him to the outside. With junior guard Damon Petrola-Bakos out indefinitely with an ankle injury, Bentworth (2-6, 6-10) needed someone to complement its leading scorer, but Waynesburg’s defensive play displayed the Bearcats’ inexperience.
“We couldn’t shoot at all tonight,” Kennedy said. “I don’t know what it was. That was the first time a team threw the box-and-one at us to limit (Rios-Lopez). The other guys just couldn’t adjust to it and it got him forcing his shots a bit.”
After building a 19-point lead at the half, Waynesburg continued its offensive onslaught with Warman down low and the outside shooting of senior Jason Zeleny, who scored 10 points before leaving the game in the fourth quarter with a knee injury.
The Raiders made mass substitutions in the fourth quarter to preserve their starters and Bentworth made just four of nine free throws in the final eight minutes as Waynesburg secured its sixth consecutive victory.
Waynesburg sits in second place behind Charleroi with a game against the Cougars scheduled for Friday night on the Raiders’ home court. The Raiders are attempting to have their first winning season since 2004-05.