Stratford boys pull away late to defeat Mount de Sales 47-35

Stratford netted a crucial region win Friday night when it defeated the Mount de Sales Cavaliers 47-35 after freshman Waldron Hiley Jr. stepped in and led a scoring barrage in the second half to help the Eagles pull away.

Things were tight well into the third quarter — Mount de Sales even had a four-point lead shortly before the final period — but Hiley dropped eight points in about two minutes all by himself to give Stratford a lead it would not relinquish.

“We’re a young team, not a lot of guys with varsity experience. … Waldron just came in and gave us a great lift. He had a big time stretch in the last six minutes there,” Stratford head coach Jarvis Smith said. “We’ve played some good quarters, we just haven’t put 32 minutes together. Tonight I think was the first night where, from start to finish, I felt like we were locked in and able to seal the victory.”

It was a much-needed win for the youthful Eagles, who improved to 7-8 overall and got their first GIAA Class 4A/3A District 6 win to improve to 1-3 in the region. Hiley finished with a team-high 13 points. Senior Landon Gates, typically the key scorer and older leader for Stratford, followed with eight.

Mount de Sales fell to 9-6 overall and 1-3 in the region with the loss, which is their third straight region defeat after starting the District 6 portion of their schedule with a win over FPD. Star player Jackson Rowley finished with a game-high 14 points, but 10 of them came in the first half as he was in foul trouble starting midway through the third quarter.

Aside from Rowley, the Cavaliers struggled to make shots in the defensive contest.

“I think we struggled to make shots and had some costly turnovers. It was hard to get into a rhythm,” Mount de Sales coach Deion Taylor said. “We’ve been struggling shooting all year, and it kinda showed in that second half. They were able to make shots, make some big threes at home and get their momentum going in the second half … we’re just in a bit of a slump right now.”

While the Cavs did a decent job guarding the Eagles for most of the night, Hiley and Gates were thorns in Mount de Sales’ side down the stretch.

“(Hiley) made a couple in the first half, and I talked to my guys about guarding him and Gates a little bit closer. I think we had a few mishaps on some ball screens where we were going underneath the screen on guys where we should’ve been going over the screen, and they were able to make us pay.”

In a low-scoring affair, the Eagles’ defense made stands when it counted in the second half. With Rowley sitting for portions of the third and fourth quarters, Stratford was able to force turnovers and poor shots from outside the lane while outplaying Mount de Sales on the boards just enough to get the job done.

“The guys stayed to the gameplan and they executed. They did for 32 minutes what we ask. Coach (Jim) Massey does a great job with the defense,” Smith said. “We have improved this season on defense and offense, but we just hit a wall where we weren’t improving. Things weren’t going our way, but after tonight’s win, they can start believing in themselves a little bit more because they’ve seen it through.”

The Eagles are set to face Tattnall on the road Tuesday night in their next region game, while the Cavaliers host John Milledge that night.