Champs & Runners-up at Chieftain Classic

The Wayne Bulldogs were in Graham starting last Thursday for the Chieftain Classic. They won all three games and came away champions after a 53-41 win over Porum in the championship game.

Wyatt Webster, Ty Kemp and Jaxon Dill were named to the All-Tournament team.

Dill also hit 1,000 career points at Wayne in the championship game.

Porum

Behind Webster, Kemp and Dill, Wayne beat Porum 53-41 in the championship game of the Chieftain Classic.

Webster (15, 15) and Kemp (12, 12) had double-doubles in the game.

Wayne jumped on the Panthers quick and held a 20-10 lead at halftime.

“This was a game of runs and we did a good job of controlling their runs and were more aggressive on the boards,” head coach Jackson Embry said.

Things got interesting in the third quarter when Porum outscored Wayne 17-11 to chip away at the Bulldogs’ lead.

“We didn’t hit a three-pointer all game, but at halftime we talked about attacking the hoop.”

But Wayne turned it on in the final stanza, putting up 22 to Porum’s 11. Twelve of Dill’s team high 16 points were scored in the fourth quarter, including going 6-8 at the charity stripe.

“Jaxon was consistent the whole game for us. And, Ty really came out of his shell during this tournament. He has gained confidence in his starting role this past week.”

Maud

In their second game of the tournament, Wayne beat Maud, 71-42.

Nine Bulldogs scored in the win. Webster led all scorers with 22, Dill had 19 and Kemp had 12.

Bradey VanSchuyver added four and Ben Fisher, Ashton Norton, Casey Kane and Logan Taylor had three.

Max McGlory was 2-2 from the free throw line for two points in the win.

Wetumka JV

To kick off the tournament, Wayne beat the Wetumka JV 70-49.

Webster had a  double-double with 28 points and 14 rebounds. Dill added 15 and Kemp had 13 and 8 rebounds.

Wayne held a 37-27 halftime lead and continued the offensive onslaught in the second half to pick up the 21 point win.

In total, Webster scored 65 points during the Chieftain Classic. Dill finished three games with 50 points and Kemp finished with 37.

“These three games were the best basketball we’ve played this season. We have a tough schedule so it was good to get these wins to continue to build confidence,” Embry said.

Lexington

Last Tuesday, Wayne was in Lexington where they fell to the Bulldogs 69-44.

“Lexington’s guards are long and fast and they’re on everyone’s scouting report for a reason.”

Dill and Kemp finished in double figures with 18 and 10, respectively.

Wayne was scheduled to host Davis on Tuesday and go to Stratford on Friday.

“These next few games will be good tests for us. It’s not often you play three ranked opponents in a row. We’ll have to continue playing good basketball.”

Girls

The Wayne Lady Bulldogs finished the Chieftain Classic runners-up to the Porum Lady Panthers after a 57-34 loss in the championship game.

Taelyn Ringwald and Audra Watts were named to the All-Tournament team.

According to Embry, Porum is a mainstay at this tournament, having won the whole thing eight years running.

“We knew it would be a tough game. They’re 13-0 and we’re a young team getting good experience for the future,” Embry said.

Wayne was up 7-4 after the first quarter.

Toward the end of the second quarter, Faith Brazell was called for a foul. Thinking it was her second of the half, Embry sat her and Porum proceeded to go a run, outscoring Wayne 18-7 in the second stanza.

However, at halftime it was determined that Brazell only had one foul.

Porum had another run in the third quarter, stretching their lead to 41-20 at the end of three quarters.

Things were closer in the final quarter as Wayne nearly matched Porum 16-14.

Taelyn Ringwald finished the game with 13 points while Audra Watts joined her in double figures with 10. Addison Keeler added seven.

Schulter

Behind Brazell’s senior leadership and Ringwald’s 16 points, Wayne beat Schulter 32-25 in their second game of the tournament.

“Both teams were tough defensively making points hard to come by in the first quarter,” Embry said.

According to Embry, Schulter got in foul trouble and the Lady Bulldogs executed at the free throw line to help secure the win.

Brazell finished the game with nine rebounds and Watts had eight.

Macomb

Ringwald (17) and Brazell (11) combined for 28 points in Wayne’s 43-19 win over Macomb.

Wayne held a 24-7 lead at halftime and the second half was more of the same as they outscored the Hornets 19-12 to cruise to the win.

Lexington

Last Tuesday, Wayne fell to the Lexington Lady ‘Dawgs 59-38.

“Coach Couch has a deep bench and he does a great job with his team.

“They pressed us, something we haven’t experienced much of this season so we seemed a bit lost and had some freshman mistakes,” Embry said.

Down 33-16 at halftime, Wayne played well in the third quarter but could not dig out of the hole.

Ringwald finished the game with 17 points and 12 rebounds. Watts had 10 points.

The Lady Bulldogs were scheduled to host Davis on Tuesday night and travel to Stratford on Friday.