All-CNY boys basketball player breaks 2 school records; one that had stood for 25 years

An All-CNY boys basketball player took down two school records Thursday night, one that had stood for 25 years.

Waterville senior Tyson Maxam scored 35 points in a blowout win over Sherburne-Earlville in a Center State Conference matchup.

Waterville cruised to an 81-31 victory, but Maxam’s big night ended with him being his school’s all-time leading scorer and all-time 3-point shot maker.

“It’s bittersweet,” said Coby Maxam, Waterville’s head coach and Tyson’s dad. “Just because I started coaching before he was even born, so just kind of bringing him up through the system. Him being a little kid around the team and being that annoying little kid shooting baskets and then kind of growing up and really wanting to be competitive.”

Maxam’s 1,636 points passes current Waterville assistant coach Shannon Ruane’s 1616 points, a record that had stood since he played 25 years ago.

“It was kind of nice. He got to pass the torch on,” Coby Maxam said.

Tyson Maxam said heading into Thursday matchup he wasn’t too focused on breaking the record. He just wanted to deliver a victory for his team.

“I knew I was semi-close,” he said. “Funny story. A kid actually told me in school and I had no clue that was 60 points away. It doesn’t really bother me that much because I had my 1,000-point game and it didn’t really get to me. It was just another game to me and I played it just like any other game. I didn’t care if I broke it or not. I cared if we got the win.”

Coby Maxam said he has enjoyed coaching his son all five years he has been on the varsity team at Waterville. He relies on Tyson’s all-around game to lead the team.

“He can score, he dishes the ball, he rebounds,” Coby Maxam said. “It’s nice to have a guy like that. He’s got pretty thick skin so he can deal with a lot and he’s seen a lot of different defenses and so he’s pretty resilient at this point. It’s nice as a coach, when you can lean on him, but he’s also got great teammates to support him.”

On Thursday, three other players scored in double figures for Waterville. Junior guard Hayden Dumas finished with 14 points, senior forward Cole Pearsall had 11, and sophomore guard Jackson Ruane added 10.

Waterville (10-1) next travels to Clinton for a 7 p.m. matchup on Tuesday. Sherburne-Earlville (2-10) next faces Herkimer at 7 p.m. on Jan. 18.

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