WACO boys take two

WAYLAND - It's been a fast start for the WACO boys' basketball team this year and the Warriors added two wins to their schedule this weekend, both coming by 10 points.

The Warriors took care of Central Lee 66-56 in a home conference game on Friday night and then picked up a 76-66 win in Keota one day later for their third and fourth wins of the season.

WACO jumped out to an early lead against Central Lee and never looked back. The Warriors led 17-7 after the first quarter and 33-22 at halftime.

The Warriors put up a game-high 22 points in the third quarter to begin to run away with the game, leading 55-38 after three quarters. The Hawks climbed back a bit in the fourth quarter but the damage had been done.

Nik Coble had a huge output in all facets of the game. He led the team with 19 points, 12 rebounds and six blocked shots, co-led the Warriors with five assists and added five steals in one of the most all-around games of the year for any area player.

Elijah McGohan scored 10 points in the win, and added five assists. Colton Horak had eight points, 10 steals and five assists before foulind out of the ballgame. Drew Kissel had eight points and eight rebounds. Matthew Liechty scored eight points. Braden Hammond finished with seven, and Gabe Reichenbach had six.

WACO kept the scoring up against Keota, especially in the first half. The Warriors led 19-13 after the first quarter and 43-23 at the break. The second half was nearly even, with WACO out-dueling Keota by one point, en route to a double-digit win.

McGohan scored 16 points to lead the Warriors on Saturday. Kissell finished the day with 13 points. Coble filled the stat sheet again with 12 points, 20 rebounds, five assists and three blocks.

Reichenbach had 10 points in the win. Hammond scored nine. Horak had eight points, seven assists and two steals, and Leichty finished with eight points.

The Warriors are now 4-2 overall and 2-1 in the SEISC South Division. They'll have a tough test tonight (Tuesday) as they head to Danville to take on the Bears.