Chase Giannatassio led the Spartans with a game-high 18 points, while a slew of post players snagged any rebound that came their way.
“We have Preble Shawnee on the last regular season game of the year on Feb. 22nd, so if we win out we can win the division,” Waynesville coach Todd Cook said.
“But this was a huge win for us. They beat us the first time by 12 (68-56 at Waynesville), but we were still very young at that time. We lost two games earlier this season due to our lack of experience at the time, so we should have a better record than we have.”
Waynesville grabbed a 10-point lead after one quarter of play, then doubled up Madison’s scoring output with just over three minutes left to play in the first half at 30-15. The Spartans led 34-18 at the break.
Madison hit just 6-of-26 attempts (23 percent) from beyond the 3-point line for the game. Mohawks coach Jeff Smith said he would’ve liked to have seen more shots taken from the inside and less from the outside.
“Offensively, I thought we didn’t work very hard to get good shots in the first half,” Smith said. “Only shooting 16 shots inside the arc, that’s a bad balance for us.”
Giannatassio’s points were big, especially late in the game when teammate Luke Creditt fouled out of the game with 13 points.
The nearest Madison player to Creditt appeared to be laying on the floor, causing Cook to draw his first technical foul of the season.
Madison failed to convert either technical free throw. In fact, the team went 0-for-6 from the free-throw line in the final quarter.
“This was a hostile environment, and we lost Luke, but we still managed to keep our composure and grab this win,” Giannatassio said. “My teammates played well, too. This was a team win for us. Ten straight wins, it’s a great feeling.”
Waynesville hasn’t lost a game since Dec. 12 against Dixie.
Matt Houser and Josh Foster finished with 16 and 15 points, respectively, for Madison.
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