By: Garrett Mitchell | garrett@thewoodrufftimes.com
As exams conclude and Woodruff students get a much-needed break from school and sports, the Woodruff wrestling and basketball teams enter the break on high notes with lots of momentum to carry into the new year. The wrestling squad and Lady Wolverine basketball team, particularly, have competed well in December with standout performances marking success on the mat and court. Here is a look at the week that was for Woodruff winter sports teams.
Wrestling on Fire
The Woodruff wrestling teams competed in prestigious tournaments over the weekend, with the boys’ and girls’ teams each earning praise for their strong performances. The men’s team competed in the Air Force Duals at Boiling Springs High School against some of the top competition in South Carolina and finished 3-2 in team competition. Wins over 5A River Bluff and Riverside, and 4A Greer improved the team’s duals record to 8-4.
Meanwhile, the Lady Wolverines’ wrestling team competed in the Mrs. Claus Invitational at Chesnee High School and finished seventh overall with Itzary De La Garza (100) and Penny Machado (110) winning their weight class championship, and Tylar Smith finishing as runner-up at 130.
Lady Wolverines Roll Behind Turner’s Heroics
The girls’ varsity basketball team picked up two solid victories last week, defeating Chesnee 45-21 and Aiken 50-22. Against the Lady Eagles, senior Jensyn Turner surpassed the 1,000-point mark for her career during a 26-point, 11-steal, and 10-rebound outburst that highlighted her first career triple-double. Turner followed up the next day with a career-high 32 points against Aiken in the Lexington Christmas Classic tournament. Freshman Hayden Belcher has also come on strong, scoring seven points against Chesnee before pouring in eight points and 12 rebounds against Aiken. The Lady Wolverines improved their overall record to 5-5.
Woodruff Boys Basketball Finding Their Footing
The Wolverine boys’ basketball team dropped its only contest of the week to Chesnee, 76-61, to fall to 2-4 on the season. But a strong second half against the Eagles brought the offense to life behind a career-high 20 points from Jackson McCarley and 10 points from Zac Ramey despite the setback. With a host of younger players stepping up to supplement the roster, the Woodruff boys are still finding their footing but show signs of being an explosive team with only one more contest on the docket before Christmas.
Author: gmitchell85
