HS Boys’ Hoops: Weatherly outlasts Williams Valley in OT
Weatherly's Ian McKeegan (right) passes to Corbin Wagner (left) as coach Luke Medico watches on (Photo by Eli Doyle).
TOWER CITY — Weatherly delivered one final twist to a wild Schuylkill League Division II race.
Ian McKeegan netted a game-high 29 points as the Wreckers outlasted Williams Valley 78-75 in overtime Tuesday night in a game that shook up the league playoff picture.
Weatherly’s win, coupled with Nativity’s overtime victory over Lourdes, put the Hilltoppers in the Schuylkill League playoffs as the third seed from Division II and left the Wreckers and Vikings on the outside looking in.
“A lot of ups and downs,” Weatherly coach Luke Medico said. “And I say it all the time — this basketball game is like life. When you think you have it figured out, and then you don’t.”
Four quarters of slobberknocker basketball weren’t enough to settle the high-stakes, back-and-forth contest.
With Williams Valley leading 66-64 in the final seconds of regulation, Weatherly’s Niko Saldukas rose from beyond the arc and buried a clutch 3-pointer to put the Wreckers up 67-66 with 4.2 seconds remaining. Williams Valley quickly used a timeout to advance the ball, setting up one last dramatic sequence.
Evan Kandybowski attacked the rim as time expired and drew a foul at the buzzer for the Vikings. He calmly split the free throws, tying the game and forcing overtime.
Once in the extra session, Weatherly took control.
Dom Kokinda scored four critical points, while McKeegan delivered the knockout stretch. McKeegan drilled his fourth 3-pointer of the night and went a perfect 4-for-4 from the free-throw line in overtime, sealing the win as the Wreckers closed strong down the stretch.
Kandybowski paced Williams Valley with 26 points, while Chris Dickerson chipped in 18 and Evan Achenbach added 12 for the Vikings.
Corbin Wagner added 21 points for the Wreckers, while Saldukas finished with 11. Kokinda collected nine, and Matt Adler added eight.
“Ian and Corbin — if you put them together, they don’t weigh as much as me,” Medico said. “They’re both 5-foot-7, 5-foot-8, and they’re two of the toughest competitors I’ve ever been around. They just go, go, go, and it doesn’t faze them. Great attitudes.”
Despite the drama, the result did not directly determine either team’s postseason fate. Both Weatherly and Williams Valley had already clinched spots in their respective District 11 playoff tournaments, meaning the outcome neither ended nor extended either season.
Instead, the ramifications were felt elsewhere.
With Weatherly and Williams Valley finishing tied at 7-7 in league play, the door opened for Nativity to claim the final Schuylkill League Division II playoff berth. The Hilltoppers took full advantage later in the evening, edging Lourdes 71-68 in overtime to punch their ticket to the league postseason.
It was another reminder of how razor-thin the margins can be in February — and how one shot, one foul, or one extra possession can shift an entire playoff landscape.
GAME SUMMARY
Weatherly 78, Williams Valley 75
WEATHERLY (78) — Adler 4 0-2 8, Kokinda 3 3-3 9, McKeegan 10 5-6 29, Saldukas 4 2-4 11, Davis 0 0-2 0, Wagner 8 1-2 21. Totals 29 11-19 78.
WILLIAMS VALLEY (75) — Rodriguez 3 1-4 9, Dickerson 6 2-2 18, Rautzahn 0 0-0 0, Achenbach 5 2-4 12, Kandybowski 10 3-4 26, B. Zilinski 4 2-4 10, K. Zilinski 0 0-0 0. Totals 28 10-18 75.
| Team | 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | OT | FINAL |
| Wea (14-7, 7-7) | 13 | 19 | 16 | 21 | 11 | 78 |
| WV (9-12, 7-7) | 20 | 10 | 20 | 17 | 8 | 75 |
