Wilson beats Waynesboro, earns another shot at Reading High
Wilson and Reading High, who met in the District 3 Class 6A championship game in each of the past two seasons, will run into each other again in district play.
The stakes, however, will be a little lower this time. It’ll be a quarterfinal and the loser will see its season continue.
The ninth-seeded Bulldogs set up the rematch by beating eighth-seeded Waynesboro 61-47 Tuesday in a district opener at Waynesboro.
Junior Aidan Melograna hit four 3-pointers in the first half to spark the Bulldogs (15-8), who led from start to finish. Now they head to the Geigle to play the top-seeded Red Knights Friday at 7.
A year ago Wilson saw its season end in a 66-58 loss to Reading in the championship game; because of COVID-19 restrictions only district champs advanced to the state tournament.
This season the top seven finishers advance to the PIAA Tournament.
Friday’s loser will go into a playback bracket along with seven other teams and will need to win to straight to reach states.
Melograna matched his season high with 12 points as part of a balanced Wilson attack that saw Cleveland Harding score 13 points, Cameron Jones 11, Foday Sillah 10 and Madyx Gruber nine.
Melongrana’s hot shooting — he made 4-of-5 from beyond the arc — helped Wilson lead 34-24 at the half.
The Indians (17-5) closed within two points in the second half before Harding and Jones helped the Bulldogs pull away again. Each scored six points in the fourth quarter when Wilson outscored Waynesboro 18-8.
Louis Lindsay and Ryan Shaffer each scored 10 points for the Indians, who had been held below 50 points just twice before this season.
Wilson lost its first two games to Reading High this season, 64-36 in West Lawn in late December and 89-55 at the Geigle in the final week of the regular season.
Melograna hit four 3’s in a game for the first time this season. He leads the team with 27 3’s.
Waynesboro tied Shippensburg for the Mid-Penn Conference Colonial Division title; each went 13-1 in league play.