Two evenly matched area boys’ basketball teams met up in Riverside on Friday to kick off the class 1A districts and WACO did enough to move on with a 55-52 win over Highland.

With the game tied at 31 all after three, the Warriors came out hot in the fourth to build an 11 point lead. The Huskies did battle back to make it a one possession game, but the road Warriors hung on for the playoff victory. WACO Head Coach Paul Kissell credited his team’s ability to handle Highland’s defensive pressure. “We knew it was going to be a tough matchup going into it and a big key was to be able to handle pressure. They came out in a press and were trapping every pass. For our younger players to step up and handle that intensity the entire game was a big reason for our success.”

The Warriors shot 41% from the floor and got balanced scoring led by Simeon Reichenbach with 10 points and seven rebounds. Reece Oswald added nine points and Hunter Hughes had nine with six assists and five steals. 

WACO improves to 4-17 and they advance to today’s district quarterfinal at Springville (20-2). Highland closes the campaign 4-10 and bid farewell to three seniors in Tristan Stokes, Colby Stokes, and Ramses Vergara.