Waverly at Mason – – Boys Basketball – – The Bleacher Denizen – – March 17, 2026 – – by Chuck Krafft

Tonight, the BleacherDenizenMobile is headed to Mason High School, where the Bulldogs will host Waverly in a non-conference game. The Waverly Warriors are one of the top Division 1 teams in the Lansing Area and bring a 15-5 record into this game. The Mason Bulldogs enter this game with a 12-9 record.

As we wait for this game to begin, I hope you will enjoy this cover of the Animals’ “House of the Rising Sun” from my You Tube Channel!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jm7njm5177I

I was able to obtain the following information about the Waverly players from one of their fans.

Derek Thomas is a fierce defender and rebounder in the post who is nearly impossible to keep from scoring when he gets the ball inside. He is extremely strong, quick and well-coordinated for his size. He can also hit the three point shot. Xavier Pendergrass is a great leaper who is very tall and is a tough rebounder and scorer in the post. He is a phenomenal shot-blocker and over-all defender near the basket.

Cayden Ali is a quick guard who is a great ball handler. He is a great athlete who can drive to the basket, get above the rim and hit the three point shot. He is a good passer who leads the team in assists and a tough perimeter defender as well. D.J. Pope is a ferocious perimeter defender with great range on his three point shot. C.J. Pope is a great passer and perimeter defender. Trey Combs is a hard worker who defends the perimeter well and can hit the three point shot.

Martez Jackson is a versatile offensive player who can play any position when Waverly needs it. Tre Burton is a great perimeter defender who generates a lot of steals and fast break layups. He can also beat the pressure and hit free throws in late game situations. K.J. Fast is another versatile player who can defend any position. He provides quickness and length and is an excellent leaper.

Gavyn Wagemaker is an excellent three point shooter and leaper. He is a tough defender. Julio Nadeau is an excellent rebounder who has a sixth sense about knowing where to go to get the rebounds. Makai Watts is an excellent ball handler who can score at the rim, in the midrange and from the three point line. He is a solid perimeter defender.

Mason Coach Chris Bondsteel provided me with this information about his Bulldog players.

Mason Dowdy is a three year varsity player who is a great leaper and dunker. He is a fine athlete that excels on both perimeter and post defense. He is a versatile scorer who can slash to the basket, overpower opponents inside and hit the three point shot. Gavin Greathouse is a sophomore who is a great defensive guard. He generally guards the opponents’ best scorer. He is a threat to score on slashes to the basket.

Luke Goss has an accurate three point shot. Layken Johnson is an athletic freshman who runs the point for the Bulldogs. He is a fine athlete who rebounds well and can score on quick slashes to the basket. Hayden Hendrickson is a fast player who plays tough perimeter defense and is a great team leader.

Logan Davis is a guard who brings hustle and versatility to the Bulldogs. He is a fine perimeter defender who sets screens, passes well and hits the open shot. Greyson Bayer is an athletic post player who rebounds well, defends the interior and scores in the lane. Gerrit Koot and Isaac Branton are good rebounders who defend the post well.

Mason has an excellent marching band. I was delighted to see that the pep band was playing. They are also a really strong unit. They played “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” and a number of other great standards before the game.

I got to Mason’s gym in time to see the last three quarters of the JV game. Waverly got out to a 16-13 lead after one quarter. Mason trimmed one point off that lead in the second quarter and trailed 30-28 at halftime. The game stayed close through the second half until Waverly’s Elijah Smith hit a layup and Antonio Botello hit a free throw with 33.4 seconds left to give Waverly a 57-50 lead.

Jeffrey Reisner hit a layup for Mason, but Rivas Harry was fouled with 13.3 seconds left and calmly sank two free throws for the final points of the game as Waverly won 59-52.

Jeffrey Reisner led the Mason JVs with 19 points. Ayden Smith supported him with 9 points and Oliver Smith contributed 8 points. Chase McMeeken, Austin Barcelow, Caleb Ward and Charlie Hayhoe each added 4 points.

Antonio Botello led the victorious Warrior JVs with 20 points. Antonio Botello supported him with 13 points. Reese Shim joined his teammates in double figures with 12 points. Amir Brown and Elijah Smith each added 5 points. Makai Watts and Marquis Carter each put in 2 points.

The Pep Band did a fine job playing a traditional version of the National Anthem!

It is now time to review the events of this game through the occasionally alert eyes of an Aging Bleacher Denizen who was never able to escape church league when he attempted to hoop in the ancient times when he was considered to be “young.” He was showing a lot of promise as a fast break scorer until the basketball powers that be insisted that he no longer wear a rocket pack to improve his speed. As the fast break baskets stopped coming, his playing time started going.

Mason wins the opening tap. Tre Burton steals the ball for the Warriors and passes to Kameron Amunga, who hits a fast break layup to give Waverly the first two points of the game. Luke Goss throws in a threeball from the corner to give Mason a one point lead. Kameron Amunga hits another fast break layup for Waverly. Derek Thomas knocks the ball away from Mason and Tre Burton picks it up for Waverly. Tre Burton hits a fast break layup to give Waverly a 6-3 lead.

Gavin Greathouse hits a layup for Mason. Hayden Hendrickson steals the ball for the Bulldogs; he has to throw the ball off a Waverly player to secure Mason’s possession. Layken Johnson drives the lane and hits a layup to give Mason a 7-6 lead.

Waverly misses a layup. The Warriors steal the ball and Tre Burton passes to Derek Thomas, who hits a layup to give the lead back to Waverly. Mason misses a layup. Luke Goss gets his hand on the ball, but Waverly recovers. Gavin Greathouse blocks a Warrior layup. Waverly recovers the loose ball, but misses a layup. Mason misses a jump shot. Kayden Ali saves a Waverly pass to prevent a Warrior turnover.

Waverly misses a layup. Mason misses an eight foot shot in the lane. Mason Dowdy knocks the ball away from the Warriors and to a Bulldog teammate. Gavin Greathouse passes to Luke Goss, who hits a three point shot from the wing to give Mason a 10-8 lead.

Waverly misses an eight foot shot from the baseline. Xavier Pendergrass hits a reverse layup for Waverly to tie the game. Derek Thomas gets his hand on a Mason pass and Xavier Pendergrass grabs it for Waverly. The Warriors miss a driving layup and a putback. K.J. Fast gets the offensive rebound and passes to Xavier Pendergrass, who slams the ball through the hoop for Waverly. K.J. Fast knocks the ball away from Mason and Tre Burton picks it up for Waverly. Tre Burton passes to Xavier Pendergrass who slams another dunk home to give Waverly a 14-10 lead.

(It is amazing how some players can make it look easy to dunk!! Kudos to Mr. Pendergrass. Unfortunately, your Bleacher Denizen has no idea what the world looks like above a basketball rim, so dunking happened extremely rarely – – actually never, but who’s counting???)

Luke Goss ignores the Bleacher Denizen’s dreams of basketball dunking glory and hits a twelve foot leaner off the dribble in the lane for Mason. Waverly misfires on a threeball from the wing. Kayden Ali steals the ball for Waverly. The Warriors miss a dunk shot. Kayden Ali gets the offensive rebound for the Warriors. Waverly misses a layup. Derek Thomas hits a putback to give Waverly a 16-12 lead.

Mason misses a layup. Xavier Pendergrass gets bored with dunking the basketball, so he passes to K.J. Fast, who dunks the ball for the Warriors. He is fouled on the play, but misses his free throw. Derek Thomas is fouled on a putback and hits two free throws for Waverly. With 1:14 remaining in the opening quarter, Waverly has a 20-14 lead.

Kameron Amunga knocks Mason’s inbound pass out of bounds and Waverly takes possession. The Warriors miss a layup. Kameron Amunga pulls down the offensive rebound for the Warriors. Gavin Greathouse steals the ball and passes to Luke Goss, who throws in a threeball from the corner to cut the Waverly lead to 20-15.

Waverly misses a layup. C.J. Gomez grabs the offensive rebound for the Warriors. D.J. Pope throws in a threeball from the side for the Warriors. Gerrit Koot inbounds the ball to Layken Johnson, who hits a layup for the Bulldogs. K.J. Fast drives and hits a layup for Waverly. K.J. Fast gets his hand on the ball. Kameron Amunga grabs it and returns it to K.J. Fast, who beats the first quarter buzzer with a layup.

After one quarter, Waverly has a 27-17 lead.

Mason inbounds the ball to open the second quarter. The Bulldogs miss a six foot shot from the baseline. Xavier Pendergrass passes to C.J. Gomez, who relays the ball to K.J. Fast, who hits a layup for the Warriors. D.J. Pope steals the ball for Waverly. The Warriors drive the baseline and miss a layup. Luke Goss hits a layup for Mason. Derek Thomas hits a layup for Waverly to give his Warriors a 31-19 lead.

Derek Thomas blocks a Mason layup; the loose ball goes out of bounds and the Bulldogs get another opportunity. Mason misses a threeball from the side. K.J. Fast hits a layup for Waverly. Mason misses a layup. Waverly reciprocates and misses a layup. They also miss a putback. C.J. Gomez grabs the offensive rebound for the Warriors. Derek Thomas is fouled on a jump shot and hits two free throws to give Waverly a 35-19 lead with 6:11 remaining in the second quarter.

Mason misfires on a threeball from the side. Hayden Hendrickson gets his hand on the ball, but Waverly recovers. K.J. Fast hits a layup for the Warriors. Kayden Ali steals the ball and hits a layup for the Warriors. Layken Johnson passes to Mason Dowdy, who hits a fast break layup for the Bulldogs. Waverly misfires on a triple try from the wing. Mason misses a threeball from the corner.

Waverly misses a jump shot from the free throw line. Xavier Pendergrass pulls down the offensive rebound for the Warriors. Mason Dowdy blocks a Waverly dunk. Mason misses a three point shot from the side. Mason Dowdy grabs the offensive rebound for the Bulldogs. Layken Johnson drives and hits a layup to trim the Waverly lead to 39-23.

Waverly misses a jump shot. Derek Thomas steals the ball and hits a layup for Waverly. Kayden Ali steals the ball for Waverly. Kayden Johnson streaks back on defense to block a Waverly layup. The loose ball goes out of bounds and Waverly gets another opportunity. Derek Thomas is fouled on a driving layup and hits two free throws to give Waverly a 43-23 lead with 3:13 remaining in the first half.

Mason misses a three point shot from the side. Hayden Hendrickson takes a charging foul to negate a Waverly layup. Layken Johnson drives and hits a layup for Mason. Logan Davis steals the ball for the Bulldogs. Mason misses a driving dunk shot. Kayden Ali goes coast to coast to hit a layup for Waverly to give the Warriors a 45-25 lead.

Isaac Branton passes to Layken Johnson, who hits a layup for Mason. Waverly misses a twelve foot shot off the dribble from the side. Mason is fouled on a spinning, driving layup, but misses two free throws. Waverly misses a threeball from the corner. Logan Davis passes to Mason Dowdy, who hits a three point shot from the corner for Mason. Derek Thomas throws in a threeball from the wing to give Waverly a 48-30 lead.

Mason Dowdy passes to Luke Goss, who hits a three point shot from the side for Mason. Kayden Ali passes to D.J. Pope, who hits a three point shot from the side for Waverly. A Mason dribbler loses the ball out of bounds. Conor Vondra steals a Waverly pass and is fouled on a fast break layup. Conor Vondra hits one of his two free throws to trim the Waverly lead to 51-34 with 16.7 seconds left in the first half.

K.J. Fast drives and hits a layup for Waverly. A Mason dribbler loses the ball out of bounds. Kayden Ali drives and hits an eight foot shot from the side of the line as the halftime buzzer lets us know it is time for a break.

Waverly has a 55-34 halftime lead.

Luke Goss has 16 points to lead Mason at halftime and Layken Johnson has 10 points.

Derek Thomas has 17 points for Waverly. K.J. Fast has 12 points and Xavier Pendergrass has 8 points.

As our readers cannot hear what is happening at halftime tonight, I hope you will enjoy these videos from my You Tube Channel!! (If you were at the gym, the Mason Pep Band was excellent!!)

“Snoopy vs. the Red Baron” was a hit for the Royal Guardsmen in late 1966! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHucLvxuQx8

“All You Ever Do is Bring Me Down” was a hit for the Mavericks in the middle 1990s! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=et0d9YvK0u4

Waverly inbounds the ball to open quarter number three. Xavier Pendergrass passes to Derek Thomas, who hits a layup for the Warriors. Luke Goss responds by throwing in a threeball from the corner for Mason. This time, it’s Derek Thomas’ turn to record and assist and Xavier Pendergrass’ turn to score a basket for Waverly and the Warriors have a 59-37 lead.

Mason misses a three point shot from the corner. Layken Johnson gets the offensive rebound for the Bulldogs. Mason misses a three pointer from the wing. The rebound goes out of bounds and Waverly takes possession. Waverly misses a fifteen foot shot from the side. Tre Burton steals the ball for the Warriors. C..J. Gomez hits a layup to give Waverly a 61-37 lead.

Mason throws a pass out of bounds. Waverly misses a threeball from the side. The rebound goes out of bounds and the Warriors get another opportunity. Waverly misses a jump shot off the dribble from the free throw elbow. Xavier Pendergrass blocks a Mason layup. C.J. Gomez is fouled on a fifteen foot shot from the baseline and hits one of his two free throws to give Waverly a 62-37 lead.

Mason misses a layup. Layken Johnson steals the ball for the Bulldogs. Mason misses a layup. Luke Goss hits a putback for the Bulldogs. Gavin Greathouse blocks a Waverly layup. Mason misfires on a triple try from the side. Waverly fumbles a pass into the lane out of bounds. Mason misses a three point shot from the side. A Waverly outlet pass goes too far and out of bounds. Layken Johnson passes to Gerrit Koot, who hits a twelve foot shot from the side of the lane for Mason to trim the Waverly lead to 62-41.

Waverly commits an offensive foul. Mason misses a three point shot from the corner. K.J. Fast blocks a Mason putback. Waverly commits another offensive foul. K.J. Fast knocks the ball away from Mason and C.J. Gomez picks it up for Waverly. C.J. Gomez passes to Derek Thomas, who hits a three point shot from the wing to give Waverly a 65-41 lead.

K.J. Fast and Derek Thomas apply a vicious double team that forces Mason to call time out to avoid turning the ball over. Luke Goss drives and hits a layup for Mason. K.J. Fast is fouled on a driving layup. He hits one of his two free throws to boost Waverly to a 66-43 lead with 1:11 remaining in quarter number three.

Logan Davis is fouled as he catches a pass and hits two free throws for Mason. Waverly misses a threeball from the corner. Tre Burton steals the ball and passes to K.J. Fast, who slams a fast break dunk home for the Warriors. Derek Thomas steals the ball and passes to C.J. Gomez, who hits a reverse layup for Waverly. D.J. Pope steals the ball for the Warriors. Waverly misses a three pointer from the wing. Tre Burton hits a putback just before the buzzer decides to end quarter number three.

After three quarters, Waverly has a 73-45 lead.

Mason inbounds the ball to begin the final quarter. The Bulldogs miss a six foot shot in the lane. C.J. Gomez passes to Derek Thomas, who is fouled on a fast break layup and hits one of his two free throws for the Warriors. Derek Thomas knocks the ball away from Mason and Tre Burton picks it up for Waverly. The Warriors miss a three pointer from the wing. Mason fumbles a pass out of bounds. Layken Johnson steals the ball and hits a fast break layup for Mason to shave the Warrior lead to 74-47.

Waverly misses a three point attempt from the side. The rebound goes out of bounds and Mason takes possession. Mason is fouled on a driving layup, but misses two free throws. Waverly throws a pass out of bounds. Luke Goss is fouled on an eight foot shot from the side and hits one of his two free throws. With 5:57 left in the game, Waverly’s lead is at 74-48.

The rebound goes out of bounds. C.J. Gomez is fouled on a driving layup and hits two free throws for Waverly. Layken Johnson is fouled and hits two free throws for Mason. Gavin Greathouse knocks a Warrior pass out of bounds; Waverly retains possession. The Warriors miss an eight footer off the dribble from the baseline. Julio Nadeau is fouled on a putback and hits two free throws to boost Waverly to a 78-50 lead with 5:01 left on the clock.

Logan Davis drives and hits a layup for Mason. K.J. Fast drives and hits a layup for the Warriors. The Bulldogs miss a layup. Mason Dowdy is fouled on a putback and hits two free throws for the Bulldogs. Waverly misses a three pointer from the wing. Mason misses an eight footer from the baseline.

Waverly misses a twelve foot shot from the wing. Mason misses a layup. Layken Johnson hits a putback for Mason. Waverly misses a layup. Luke Goss is fouled on a layup and hits one of his two free throws for Mason. With 3:04 remaining in the game, the Waverly lead is at 80-57.

Gavyn Wagemaker passes to Martez Jackson, who is fouled as he shoots a layup. Martez Jackson hits one of his two free throws for Waverly. Jeremiah Randle drives and hits a layup for Mason. Waverly misses a twelve foot shot in the lane. Gavyn Wagemaker steals the ball and is fouled. He hits one of his two free throws to give Waverly an 82-59 lead with 2:28 to go.

Gerrit Koot hits a twelve foot shot off the dribble in the lane for Mason. Waverly misses a layup. Mason misses a three point shot from the corner. Waverly loses the ball out of bounds on a too fast break. Mason misses a three point shot from the wing. Gerrit Koot steals the ball for Mason. Julio Nadeau gets a hand on the ball; Mason recovers. Logan Davis is fouled on a layup and hits one of his two free throws to shave the Waverly lead to 82-62 with 37.5 seconds remaining.

Waverly throws a pass out of bounds. Rivas Harry gets his hand on the ball, but Mason recovers. The Bulldogs miss a threeball from the side. Greyson Bayer gets the offensive rebound for the Bulldogs. Julio Nadeau blocks Mason layup. The Bulldogs retain possession, but then lose the ball out of bounds. Waverly misses a heave as the final buzzer announces it is time for the game to end.

Waverly wins 82-62.

Mason’s Luke Goss had 25 points to lead all scorers. Layken Johnson joined his teammate in double figures with 16 points. Mason Dowdy contributed 7 points. Logan Davis added 5 points. Gerrit Koot scored 4 points. Gavin Greathouse and Jeremiah Randle each tossed in 2 points. Conor Vondra tallied 1 point.

Derek Thomas scored 23 points to lead the Waverly scoring. K.J. Fast supported his teammate with 17 points and Xavier Pendergrass chipped in with 10 points. C.J. Gomez contributed 7 points. D.J. Pope and Kayden Ali each added 6 points. Tre Burton scored 5 points. Kameron Amunga totaled 4 points. Julio Nadeau had 2 points. Gavyn Wagemaker and Martez Jackson each tallied 1 point.