The Wayne High boys basketball team won their third straight game on Thursday, getting a balanced offensive effort in a 59-49 win over Norfolk Catholic at Wayne High School.
The visiting Knights hung with the Blue Devils for much of the first half, but Wayne erased an early five-point deficit with a Tyler Pecena free throw and a basket and two charity tosses by Grayson McBride. A basket by Payten Gamble and a 3-pointer by Shea Sweetland gave Wayne a 25-21 lead late in the first half and they would never trail again.
Norfolk Catholic stayed within striking range throughout much of the second half, but Gamble was fouled on a 3-point shot as time expired in the third quarter and made 2-of-3 at the line to give Wayne a 10-point lead going to the final period. Wayne led by as many as 12 points in the final quarter after a three-point play by Jack Evetovich and improved to 7-3 on the season with the win, their fifth in the last six games.
Gamble led three Blue Devils in double figures with 15 points, with Mason Lee adding 12 and Evetovich putting in 10. McBride added nine points, Sweetland had seven, Ryan Jaixen scored three, Beau Bowers had two and Pecena had one.
The Wayne boys are back in action Saturday with a home matchup against Boone Central/Newman Grove at 5:30 p.m.
