Sports
Waterford Lady Wildcats Still Atop TVC-Hocking
By: Justin Cudahy
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This week saw an end to what could have been a perfect season for the Lady Wildcats (7-1), who earned their first loss on a last second shot against Alexander.
Despite this small blemish on their record, Waterford still sits at the top of the Tri-Valley Hocking conference, though not by much.
On Dec. 27, the Lady Wildcats traveled to Beverly, Ohio to take on Fort Frye for the first time this season. The Cadets were searching for their first victory over Waterford in nearly four years, but were unable to complete the task, falling to the Lady Wildcats, 61-35.
Junior Megan Ball from Waterford gave the Lady Wildcats a quick start in the first quarter, scoring 10 points, finishing with 14 just in the first half, making it 34-18 after two. The team did a great job capitalizing on early turnovers by Fort Frye, who racked up six in the opening eight minutes.
Despite foul trouble early in the second quarter, junior captain Alli Kern helped push the lead even further for the Lady Wildcats in the second half, scoring 11 points in the third quarter.
Waterford, who never trailed during the game, would take the W in the end, defeating Fort Frye with a score of 61-35. Both Ball and Kern would finish the night with 19 point each, keeping The Lady Wildcats’s perfect season alive with a record of (7-0).
Two days later, the girls were back home in Waterford to take on Alexander, who were coming off a win over conference rivals Nelsonville-York back on Dec. 19. The last time these two teams faced off was back in January of this year, which ended with a Waterford victory over The Lady Spartans, 65-50.
Alexander was able to keep up in the first quarter against The Lady Wildcats, led by Ball who scored nine points in the first quarter. She would end the night with 19 total points.
The Lady Spartans took full control of the second quarter however, and would close out the first half scoring seven of the final nine points with a lead over Waterford, 31-26.
Things only got worse for the Lady Wildcats coming out of the locker room. At one point in the third quarter, the team would trail by double digits, thanks to senior Leah Richardson and her sister, Rachel who would end the night with a combined 31 points.
At the start of the fourth quarter, the comeback was on for Waterford.
Turnovers played a huge part in the Waterford comeback, forcing seven out of Alexander in the final quarter. Sophomore Rachel Adams was able to score six quick point for the Lady Wildcats, as a result of two pairs of clutch free throws, and a layup later on, which would cut the lead to only three with less than a minute remaining. Junior Kenzie Dietz was the savior for Waterford, who tied the game up thanks to a three pointer with nearly fifteen seconds left.
The Wildcats, who are no stranger to pressure, looked as if they were going to be able send this game into overtime riding on an incredible comeback. That however, would not come to happen.
In the final seconds of the game, the ball would find itself to Rachel Richardson on the right wing off an inbound pass, who would deliver the game winner on a buzzer beater, spoiling Waterford’s perfect season earlier in the season than expected.
The Lady Wildcats will look to start off 2017 on a positive note, when they host the Belpre Lady Golden Eagles