Five straight three-pointers over a three-minute stretch in the third quarter Friday night were enough for Waldron to pull away from Morristown for a 53-40 win.
Trailing 24-22 early in the third quarter, Waldron went on a 17-0 run that included three 3s from Bryce Yarling and trifectas from Lucas Shaw and Caden Sheaffer that put the Yellow Jackets down 39-24.
Morristown (0-4, 0-3 Mid-Hoosier Conference) failed to get the lead back under double digits from there and lost to Waldron for the first time since Dec. 9, 2016.
Yarling hit five 3s on the way to a game-high 30 points for Waldron (3-2, 1-1 MHC). The junior guard also had eight rebounds and three assists.
Lucas Mitchell finished with 12 points and four rebounds. Sheaffer had four points, five rebounds and two steals.
“We started hitting shots and I think we worked a little harder to get decent looks,” said Waldron coach Beau Scott of the third-quarter run. “In the first half, we were impatient and not really working the ball. It was good to see the confidence from those guys.”
Morristown raced out to a 10-3 lead on 3s from Nolan Laster and Mathew Carlton and baskets from Carson Conrad and Cade Mahin.
Waldron struggled to find its offensive rhythm and trailed 16-12 at the end of the quarter.
Both teams had a hard time scoring in the second quarter. Yarling had all eight of Waldron’s points.
Morristown’s Nick Stidham scored in the lane just ahead of the halftime buzzer to tie the game at 20-all.
The Yellow Jackets opened up a 24-22 lead before Shaw scored off a Mitchell assist that started the 17-0 run.
Yarling followed with a 3 from the wing. Shaw splashed another 3 from the corner. Sheaffer nailed one from the top of the key and Yarling hit back-to-back corner 3s.
“It comes back to some of the stuff we are struggling with like turnovers,” said Morristown coach Collin McCartt. “And they got loose … our guys have a little bit of trouble still, and we are young, letting things snowball a little bit.”
Mitchell and Yarling each scored six points in the final quarter to keep Morristown at bay.
Laster finished with 19 points and three steals to lead Morristown.
The Yellow Jackets shot 30% from the field and committed 19 turnovers.
“Right now with the turnovers, so many are unforced,” said McCartt. “So many are we are just throwing the ball away. The good news is that is correctable. We have to stop giving away possessions.”
Only four Mohawks scored in the win but with Yarling and Mitchell that is not a huge problem. For Waldron to have sustained success, though, the roster has to produce points to compliment the high-scoring duo.
“It’s just trying to make easy decisions,” explained Scott. “That is probably the phrase I say the most, just make easy plays, make a read and have your head up. I trust everybody out there to do a lot of different things. We are pretty interchangeable.”
Morristown has a rescheduled game Monday against Oldenburg Academy (1-2).
Waldron is at Southwestern (2-2) on Dec. 18.
Waldron 53, Morristown 40
MT: Stidham 2-10 0-1 4, Laster 6-15 4-6 19, Theobald 2-4 3-5 7, Carlton 1-4 0-0 3, Riley 0-0 0-0 0, Conrad 1-7 0-0 2, Mahin 2-7 1-2 5. Totals: 14-46 8-14 40.
WA: Mitchell 6-11 0-1 12, Yarling 10-20 5-7 30, Sheaffer 1-4 1-2 4, Becker 0-1 0-0 0, Shaw 3-6 0-0 7, Jones 0-0 0-0 0, Lindsey 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 20-43 6-10 53.
SCORE BY QUARTERS
MT (0-4) 16 4 5 15 -- 40
WA (3-2) 12 8 21 12 -- 53
Three-pt. field goals: MT 4-13 (Stidham 0-3, Laster 3-5, Theobald 0-1, Carlton 1-2, Conrad 0-2), WA 7-19 (Mitchell 0-1, Yarling 5-12, Sheaffer 1-2, Becker 0-1, Shaw 1-3). Rebounds: MT 29 (Stidham 3, Theobald 8, Carlton 2, Conrad 4, Mahin 12), WA 25 (Mitchell 4, Yarling 8, Sheaffer 5, Becker 7, Lindsey 1). Assists: MT 5 (Stidham 3, Carlton 1, Mahin 1), WA 10 (Mitchell 2, Yarling 3, Sheaffer 1, Becker 1, Shaw 2), WA 10 (Mitchell 2, Yarling 3, Sheaffer 1, Becker 2, Shaw 2). Steals: MT 5 (Laster 3, Theobald 1, Conrad 1), WA 5 (Yarling 1, Sheaffer 2, Becker 1, Lindsey 1). Blocks: WA 2 (Mitchell 1, Jones 1). Total fouls: MT 13, WA 13. Turnovers: MT 19, WA 16.
