Woodruff Boys Win First Games to be Played at New Woodruff High School
By: Garrett Mitchell, Staff Writer | garrett@thewoodrufftimes.com
Zac Ramey called for the ball, and when he took a pass on the left wing and let a three-pointer fly in the opening minute against Blacksburg on January 2, he made history with the first made basket at the new Woodruff High School gym.
“It was a great experience and will be a great memory,” said Ramey.“ It really set a milestone for me, and making the first basket in the new gym will be history forever. That means a lot to me.”
That game against the Wildcats was historic as the first athletic event in the Wolverines’ new home, and it culminated in a 67-34 rout over Blacksburg in the FCA Classic tournament, which Woodruff hosts every season.
The next day, against Mid Carolina, Woodruff won the tournament in dramatic come-from-behind fashion, defeating Mid Carolina 57-50 in overtime.
In the championship game against the Rebels, the Wolverines trailed 9-7 after one quarter, but a red-hot Grayson Patterson took over in the second period, ultimately scoring 19 of Woodruff’s 27 first-half points, as the Wolverines led 27-23 at the half.
Mid Carolina would catch fire in the third quarter, scoring 20 points in the period and overtaking Woodruff and carrying a 40-36 lead into the fourth quarter. The Rebels would maintain that four-point margin until the final two minutes, when the Wolverines would rally.
Patterson, who was held in check during the third period, scored twice, along with a bucket from Dre Jenkins, to even the score at 44-44 with 1:07 to play. Mid Carolina would hold onto the ball and take a final shot in regulation, but Patterson rejected the attempt as the game went to overtime.
Once again, the Rebels took an early lead in the extra period, 47-44, but Jenkins, Patterson, and Jackson McCarley would take over from there. Patterson and Jenkins each scored to give Woodruff the lead at 48-47, and following a series of defensive stops, McCarley iced the game at the free-throw line as he connected on three of four attempts in the final minute.
“We were really excited to open the new gym with our tournament, and the guys got really excited,” said Woodruff head coach Bryan McConnell. “Winning both games was kind of the cherry on top. The key is to get better with region play coming up, and the tournament gave us an opportunity to do that.”
Patterson finished his career with 28 points and 15 rebounds, being named to the all-tournament team. Jenkins was named tournament MVP, scoring 20 points against Blacksburg and 16 against Mid Carolina.
“I feel like we faced adversity (early in the season), so us playing well now, it shows we are getting better,” stated Jenkins.“ We’re all buying into what we need to do to win.”
McCarley also put in yeoman’s work over both games, scoring a combined 25 points to go along with 14 rebounds, eight assists, six steals, and three blocked shots over two games.
With the victories, Woodruff improved their record to 5-4 with conference play beginning this Friday against Broome.
Author: Tracy Sanders
