The Wayne boys basketball team wrapped up the first week of the winter season with a 2-1 record after following up its opening loss with back-to-back wins.
The Warriors won both games on the road by double digits, dropping the opener by two points.
"We kind of implemented a little bit different offense," said head coach Travis Trice. "We catered around the talent that we have. Everyone's pretty much playing a different role than they played last year. We're going to take some bumps and bruises. We have a much tougher schedule this year, but we did that so we could be ready for the tournament."
Wayne 72, Fairmont 60
Wayne opened up a slim lead against the Firebirds to begin play in the Greater Western Ohio Conference central division Friday at Kettering Trent Arena.
The Warriors led by three points after both the first and second quarters, but Wayne extended its edge in the third period.
Three players scored in double figures for Wayne, led by 18 apiece from sophomores Markus Crider and Travis Trice II. Senior Jordan Bazile added 16 points. Seniors Lamar Mallory and Dominique Fowler scored six apiece, and Tre Moore added three. Seniors Spencer Mims and Devin Bartlett added two, while Brandon Williams tallied one.
Wayne 67, Alter 48
Wayne dominated a non-league game against Alter, winning its second game 67-48 last Saturday on the road.
Wayne led 24-12 after the first uarter despite
Other than giving up 20 points to Ryan Siggins and 17 to Jamarre White, Wayne stuck to its overall game plan.
Trice said he was pleased that Wayne held Alter's remaining five scorers to a combined 11 points.
"We took everyone else out of the game. It was a great team effort. We did a little better job on the defensive boards in this game," said Trice.
Sophomore Tre Moore contributed 11 points off the bench, including three, 3-pointers.
"Tre did that all last year, and he's done it in the summer," said Trice. "We know he can score. He's a streaky shooter, and once he gets going, Tre can really knock down some shots. Quite honestly, he has understood what to do offensively better than anyone, which is getting into the lane, beating your man and making better opportunities for your teammates. The other thing is, he's a defensive-minded person anyway, playing as a safety on the football team. He has a strong body. He's quick and athletic. We've used him to pick up and stimulate us on the defensive end, and he's done a great job of that all three games."
Bazile shot five treys of his own, leading Wayne with 17 points.
"I expect absolutely nothing less from him," said Trice of Bazile. "By the end of the season, he may be our leading scorer because he can score in a variety of ways. He can definitely shoot the ball. With all that said, he just had a bad night in the Lebanon game."
Lamar Mallory added 12 points, Dominique Fowler scored 11, Travis Trice II dished 10, and Markus Crider, Devin Bartlett and Justin Scheibenzuber each added two points.
Trice said the team needs to improve its rebounding.
"We have not done a good job of boxing out," said Trice. "It's allowed teams to scrap a little bit. Instead of boxing out, we're trying to jump for balls."
Trice said Wayne did a "much better job of boxing out" against Alter, and shutting down Fairmont's and Alter's top two scorers.
"That's the difference in the game," he said, "because we're a good defensive team each individual possession. We didn't have a very good opening night, but I know that we can be a very good defensive team. We've got to be able to box out and not give teams second and third opportunities."
Lebanon 69, Wayne 67
Wayne fell in the season opener to Lebanon, 69-67 last Tuesday night in Huber Heights.
Sophomore Travis Trice II, who scored Wayne's first eight points, broke a scoreless tie halfway through the first quarter with a 3-pointer. The guard gave Wayne an 8-2 lead that soon evaporated. Lebanon tied the game, but Wayne led 14-12 after the first period.
Wayne held a slim 35-33 halftime lead, with Crider and Trice leading with nine points each.
Lebanon's Blake Davenport and Bryce Hathaway were thorns in Wayne's side all night. They led all scorers with 23 and 17 points, respectively. Davenport put Lebanon up 39-37 early in the second half, which spurred an 18-6 run.
"It felt like we were definitely the better team, but we did not defend very well at all," said Trice. "In the next couple days, we really focused on our defense, and tried to clear up a couple things offensively. We're still not taking care of the ball very well, at all."
Although Wayne reclaimed the lead on consecutive baskets by senior Dominique Fowler, two Hathaway treys ultimately sealed Wayne's fate. Lebanon knocked away an inbounds pass to Fowler on a potential game-tying play, the last of the game.
Bazile went 2-for-10 from the 3-point line. Trice said he realized after looking at tape that only one of the shots was contested.
"If he gets those same 10 looks, he's going to get five or six three's every game," he said.
Wayne's JV team beat Lebanon 64-53.
The Warriors host Springfield for the first time since the merge, this Friday at 7:30 p.m., then play Dayton Belmont on the road Saturday night.
Wayne will be inactive for a break over Christmas before a road game against Piqua Jan. 6. A home game against GWOC rival Centerville Jan. 9 begins a challenging stretch of games in the middle of the season.
"I like where we are," said Trice. "I like how we finished up the weekend, with two impressive wins on the road at tough places to play. We have a chance to iron out some things before the very tough January and February."
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