Fourth quarter run gives Waverly first CAAC-Blue crown in a decade

DEWITT, Mich. (WILX) - Heading into Friday’s CAAC-Blue finale at DeWitt, it had been a decade since the Waverly Warriors won an outright league title.

And on a night in which DeWitt senior Bryce Kurncz broke Class of 1996 grad Jason Kreider’s all-time scoring record of 1,181, the Warriors held off a Panthers club looking to play spoiler, 55-47.

With 4:30 to go, the Warriors clung to just a one-point lead, before its senior class took the game over.

Deonte Roberts jump-started a nine nothing run for the Warriors, sparked by havoc-defense, which led to a flurry of electrifying dunks from senior Darrius Welch, who led everybody with 18 points.

“I love to see our guys having great defensive stops and getting runouts for dunks,” Waverly head coach Rod Watts said, with his entire team smiling behind him. “Once you get Welch or [Deunte] Phifer out there, it’s gonna be exciting.”

The win gives Waverly the league crown, which finished league play 10-2.

“It’s the first time in ten years since we won the CAAC-Blue, so we bringin’ it back home,” Watts said.

Waverly, now 16-5, with one regular season game to go, is experiencing its success largely on the backs of a deep and talented senior class. One that knows this team feels different from the Warriors teams of the past.

“We normally the team that people try to pick on us the past couple years, you know,” Welch said. “People’s senior night stuff, but you know, we ain’t that Warriors no more. It’s different Warriors.”

Waverly will close out its regular season slate next Thursday, March 2., as Harper Creek comes to town.

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