Basketball Recap: Wilby Triumphs

Ja'Nell Saunders

Rebounds

01/17/25 vs Wolcott	18
02/04/25 @ Waterbury Career Academy	15
01/27/25 vs Amistad	15
01/13/25 @ Torrington	15
01/24/25 @ Watertown	13
+ 11 more games

If Waterbury Career Academy wanted to avenge their loss from the last time they played Wilby, they should've done a better job of containing Ja'Nell Saunders. The Wilby Wildcats snuck past the Waterbury Career Academy Spartans with a 57-51 victory on Tuesday thanks in part to Saunders, who dropped a triple-double on 15 points, 15 rebounds, and 15 blocks. Wilby is 9-4 when Saunders posts eight or more boards, but 1-3 otherwise.

Another player making a difference was Raine Upchurch, who posted 13 points and five steals. That's the most steals she has posted since back in December of 2024.

Waterbury Career Academy lost despite a true team effort on offense, the best among them being Sierra Brown, who put up eight points in addition to six assists and five steals. Malahzia Weaver was another key player, putting up 20 points and seven rebounds.

Wilby's win bumped their record up to 10-7. As for Waterbury Career Academy, they have been struggling recently as they've lost four of their last five matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 6-9 record this season.

Wilby has already played their next game (against Crosby), but no score has been uploaded at the time of writing. As for Waterbury Career Academy, they wasted no time getting back out on the court and have already played their next contest, a 52-34 victory against Kennedy on the 7th.