Waterford obtains third district title in four years with victory over Symmes Valley
By: Jake Collins
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WELLSTON, Ohio (WOUB)- Waterford (21-3) returned to the regional semi-finals for the first time since 2022 and won convincingly against Symmes Valley (16-7), 57-24.
Kendall Sury and Avery Wagner led the way for the Wildcats. Sury scored 23 points to go with seven assists, and Avery Wagner totaled 12 points, 14 rebounds, five blocks and five assists.
Symmes Valley struggled from the field as the Vikings shot 10/47. Senior guard Jordi Ellison led the Vikings with nine points and six rebounds, which she displayed great effort despite the deficit throughout the game.
Waterford’s defense applied pressure with a full-court press that forced eight turnovers to help propel the Wildcats to quickly take a 10-0 lead within the first couple of minutes. Waterford made their first five shots. Kendall Sury scored 10 points in the first, and the Wildcats led 19-6 after the first quarter.
Waterford never lost the lead for the rest of the game, outscoring the Vikings 17-4 in the second with 11 more points from Sury.
The Wildcats’ defense held strong with their presence in the paint but struggled with allowing offensive rebounds even with their height advantage.
“That’s one thing we got to clean up. We gave up 12, maybe even 14,” Waterford Head Coach Jerry Close said. “Those are the things you can’t do this time of year.”
Even with some concern about the inconsistent rebounding, Waterford’s offense continued to build a lead in the third.
Laykyn Jones impressed in this quarter, going ¾ behind the arc. Jones finished with 14 points, all in the third, to help the Wildcats extend the lead to over 30 points.
“She was getting in the right spot in transition. That is what we are looking for is that kickout, and Laykyn did a great job capitalizing on that tonight,” Close said.
With the 30-point lead, the running clock began, and numerous young bench players entered the game to finish until the final buzzer, 57-24. Waterford is the first team to win one of four Region 15 district titles.
Waterford’s next matchup will be declared after Friday when Newark Catholic (23-0) and Fisher Catholic (22-3) will play for the central district title. Waterford played against both teams during the regular season with a victory over Fisher Catholic and an overtime loss against Newark Catholic.
Symmes Valley’s season ends at 16-7 with a 12-2 record in the Southern Ohio I, which placed them second in the conference. The Vikings lost three seniors but will return three starters next year.