In a rematch of last year’s championship, the Wayne boys basketball team once again emerged victorious, defeating East High 61-55 in the Class A Final on Saturday afternoon at the Blue Cross Arena.
The win secured Wayne’s fifth sectional title and marked the second time in program history they have won back-to-back titles, having previously claimed consecutive Class A2 crowns in 2017 and 2018.
The second-seeded Eagles of Wayne (22-2) got off to a scorching start, leading 17-4 after the first eight minutes. They maintained their 13-point advantage at halftime and entered the fourth quarter up by 11. Top-seeded East High (17-2) fought back late, cutting the deficit to single digits in the final four minutes and pulling within four points with 32 seconds remaining, but Wayne held on to seal the win.
Junior Cam Blankenberg delivered a stellar performance, scoring a game-high 31 points and earning Class A Most Valuable Player honors. Adian Twist and Richard Miles each drained three three-pointers, finishing with 13 and 11 points, respectively, while Cory Jones Jr. added six points to round out Wayne’s scoring.
For East High, Jhayden Holmes led the charge with 19 points, and Zion Parsons also reached double digits with 16.
RADIO REPLAY: Paul Russo and Nate Sharman had the call on FingerLakes1 Radio.
With the win, Wayne advances to the Class A Far West Regional next Saturday at Rush-Henrietta High School, where they will take on the Section VI Class A champion.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to [email protected].