ZEBRA STAMPEDE: Young, quick Wayne Memorial upends Salem

Wayne Memorial’s boys basketball team does not start a single senior and only two of its players are older than 16, so it took a while Wednesday night for the Zebras to shake off their post-season tournament jitters.

Oh, about 30 seconds.

Led by 6-foot-4 junior guard Austin Tory, Wayne scored the game’s first 10 points and built a 14-2 lead over Salem less than three minutes into the contest, before rolling to a 76-58 victory.

The Zebras punched a ticket into Friday’s 7 p.m. district championship game against host Canton, which edged Plymouth, 56-54, in Wednesday’s nightcap.

Seniors Ryan Peters (21 points) and Mitch Robillard (16 points) kept the Rocks close, but they couldn’t keep pace with the longer, quicker Zebras.

To check out video highlights from Wednesday’s game, click here.

Peters’ curtain call

The game marked the career finale for Peters, one of just a handful of players in the history of Salem boys basketball to eclipse the 1,000 career points mark.

Peters had his moments Wednesday, knocking down three triples and displaying his ankles-breaking cross-over dribble and accurate stop-and-pop jumper. Robillard and Tommy Veresh, both seniors, also played well in their final high school games. Veresh hit three three-point shots to finish with 11.

It’s too early to predict whether one of Wayne’s young ballers will reach the hard-to-reach plateau Peters has reached, but Zebras head coach Steve Brooks wasn’t looking into the future beyond Friday night.

“I’m real proud of my young guys,” Brooks said. “Last year’s tournament was so new to my guys, our guards were pressing a little bit. The challenge this year was to get a bye, which we were able to do.

“We still have some work to do defending the three, but I’m very proud of my team right now.”

Tough and tested

Now 13-6, Wayne was one of the few teams that has been able to make undefeated and state-ranked Dearborn sweat in the fourth quarter, as the Zebras dropped a pair of single-digit setbacks during KLAA East Division play.

Tory has been a big reason for Wayne’s progression this season, Brooks emphasized.

“We’ve known all along he’s capable of what he did tonight,” Brooks said of Tory. “He’s been going through a growth spurt the past nine months or so during which he’s grown about four inches, so he’s still kind of catching up to that.

“Last year, he was our best shooter. He’s been in a little bit of a slump, but it was nice to see him come out of it tonight.”

Tory had plenty of help from his high-flying friends. Junior post player Joshua Dennis was a menace, scoring 18 points while grabbing 10 rebounds.

Perimeter power

And sophomore guard Jaylohn Allen contributed 16, including nine the result of a trio of threes.

Sophomore Carlos Medlock helped the winners’ balanced attack with 12 points, going 6-for-6 from the free throw line.

Altogether, the Zebras went to the free-throw line 25 times, knocking down 19.

Friday’s district title game is expected to be close and compelling, given Wayne’s youth and Canton’s experience. Four of the Chiefs’ starters are seniors and their fifth senior, Teddy Winstel, plays like one.

Ed Wright can be reached at 734-664-4657 or edwright@socialhousenews.com.

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