The Waynesville Tigers took home a 66-62 win against the West Plains Zizzers Friday night, thanks in part to senior Joe Johnson’s 28-point contribution.
“I’m always up for my team, so I just keep striving, no matter what, through the ups and downs,” said Johnson. “It’s my job to stay positive. No matter what the score is, you keep playing hard and you stay with it.”
The Tigers had mostly ups and few downs in the contest against the Zizzers, commanding the score early in the contest, and maintaining a 9-point lead after the half and at the close of the third.
But Waynesville struggled to score against the West Plains defense in the fourth, while Christian Robbins and Chris Riley combined for 17 points for the Zizzers. With two minutes remaining, the Zizzers tied the game, 56-56.
In the final minutes, Joe Johnson added six points to help his team to victory. He sunk a free throw and quickly followed it with a three-pointer, then added two more from the charity stripe. Teammates David Adams and Cedric Williams also made good on free throws to stretch the lead over the Zizzers.
“I think the story tonight was two good basketball teams just playing a great game, and somebody had to win,” said Waynesville head coach Chris Pilz. “We were grateful we were able to get out of here with the win.”
Coach Pilz said he knew playing West Plains at home would be difficult, but he was pleased with his team’s start and their shooting on the night.
“We’re a little vertically challenged, so their size bothers us a little bit in that trap,” he said. “They manned us and I thought we moved the ball against them pretty well and hit good shots, shots we wanted to hit, but I thought the most effective thing they did was a 1-3-1 zone. It went from nine down to tied. I thought it was a good sign that our guys stayed tough, got a stop, and got a couple of free throws.”
Coach Pilz noted the play of the starting Zizzers, as well as several of his players, including Johnson. “Joe Johnson is a four-year starter. When he plays well, we are really good and can probably beat anybody. I think the difference was Cedric Williams inside; he got a lot of rebounds for us. When he got in foul trouble, that put us in a real big pinch. I thought the seniors played well, and our bench is starting to contribute a little better.”
Zizzer head coach Kevin Smith said his team is working to finish contests. “We’ve lost of a lot of close games, and I wish we would have come out from the very beginning and played tough and played hard, but I think Waynesville had a lot to do with that,” he said.
Joe Johnson led all scorers with 28 points. Also scoring for Waynesville: Cedric Williams, 11, Dwayne Morton, 9, Trey Simpson, 7, David Adams, 6, Reggie Walker, 3, and Tavon Dipalma, 2.
Chasey Riley led the Zizzers with 20 points, and Christian Robbins added 16. Also scoring for West Plains: Sidney Jones, 11, Mitchell Mahan, 9, and Zak Adkisson, 6.
“West Plains is awfully good, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they win a district tournament and get in the playoffs,” said Coach Pilz. “We just feel fortunate to get out of here with a win.”
