The Wayland boys’ varsity basketball team had a spectacular debut Tuesday night in a 92-52 rout of host Caledonia.
The Wildcats grabbed a 47-31 advantage at the half and ran away with the contest the rest of way.
After a bit of a slow start that saw Caledonia jump out to a 13-6 lead, the Wildcats were able to find their shooting touch, build a lead, and eventually pull away 92-51.
A solid inside outside game by Wayland fueled the attack. The Wildcats were able to use nine three-pointers, four from Mitchell Dykstra, to help pace them to victory. On the inside, a strong post presence from senior Zack Nieuwkoop, who had his first double double of the season with 26 points and 12 rebounds and two blocks, helped build and extend a lead.
Dykstra had a career-high 24 points.
The Wildcat defense, which also started a little slow, was able to generate 13 steals. They were also able to out rebound the Fighting Scots 32-21. An excellent job of sharing the basketball was also done as they had 18 assists, led by eight from Avery Hudson
Up next for the Wildcats is a Saturday match-up against the defending Class B state champions Detroit Henry Ford at the Battle of I-96 Holiday Hoops Classic at Ottawa Hills High School. Game time is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
Wayland will not play a home basketball game until after the holiday break.
