The Wayland boys’ varsity basketball team cruised to a 66-39 victory at home against Hastings Tuesday night, evening its O-K Gold Conference record at 2-2 and pushing its overall season mark to 9-2.
The Wildcats, ranked No. 6 in this week’s Associated Press state-wide poll, never were really threatened despite some offensive lapses and really awful free throw shooting. It was that tenacious, ball-hawking pressure that the Saxons just couldn’t cope with, and the visiting group had a terrible time getting the ball inside for good looks at the basket.
Even worse for Hastings was that the only solution it had against the assaults on the basket by 6-9 senior center Lacey James was to foul him. Unfortunately, he obliged his opponents by making just one of 11 at the line and the Wildcats as a team were 3-for-16, for 18.8 percent. The joke in the Saxon fans’ stands was that their best defense was to foul James.
It took James just two minutes to put six points on the board and stake his team to a 6-0 lead and he scored 10 of the Wildcats’ first 13 points. But Wayland in the second quarter went into the offensive lapses, lazy passes and nasty habit of putting the ball on the deck before going up with putbacks. After being up 11-3, they let Hastings creep to win three, 11-8, at the end of the first quarter. But that’s as close as the Saxons would ever get.
Things briefly looked a little scary for the ‘Cats at the six-minute mark of the second period when the twin towers of James and 6-5 Zac Nieukoop went to the sidelines on fouls. But then senior point guard Dilon Aten and sophomore guard Avery Hudson hit back-to-back three-pointers and Aten followed up with another to open the count up to 24-12.
But Hudson was retired to the bench for the remainder of the night by his father, coach Mike Hudson, for getting a technical foul by saying something that “disrespected” the referee.
The Saxons were able to stay within striking distance right up to intermission, thanks to an 8-for-13 performance at the free throw line, and Wayland went to the locker room with a precarious 28-20 advantage.
But Hastings succumbed to the inevitable in the first two and a half minutes of the third quarter, as the hometown quintet reeled off eight unanswered points with a powerful combination of James under the hoop and fast-break baskets off that pesky pressure defense. The visitors never were able to whittle their deficit down to single digits after that and the ‘Cats were in command 47-32 at the end of three.
The last eight minutes were just more of the same and coach Hudson emptied his bench with about five minutes left to play.
James ended the night with 25 points and one could only speculate how high that total could have been have if he hadn’t struggled so badly at the free throw line and if he hadn’t been forced to sit out six minutes of the second period. Hastings, just like Grand Rapids Catholic Central last Friday, could not cope with him. He also hauled down 15 rebounds, just five fewer than against Catholic.
Aten finished with 11 points and Nieukoop added seven. Aten also came up with five steals and five assists.
Peter Beck scored 10 points for Hastings, but was the only Saxon to break into the double figures column.
The Wildcats will have a tough assignment at 6 p.m. Friday with a date with South Christian. A victory over the Sailors on their home floor is no easy task.
PHOTO: Lacey James (32) was dominant against Hastings Tuesday night, scoring 25 points. (Photo courtesy Kenny Ritz)
AND… it was a “sweep” for the Wildcats as the Freshmen and JV teams also won out! Go Green!