Hardwood Heroes Sports
Bulldogs Win on Senior Night; Clinch Share of Conference Title.
By: Jack Demmler
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THE PLAINS, Ohio- It was a very special night for Head Coach Mickey Cozart and the Athens Bulldogs as they welcomed the Wellston Golden Rockets to The Plains on Tuesday for their senior night.
After leading by only six heading into the fourth quarter, the Bulldogs regrouped and clinched a share for the TVC-Ohio title with a 62-53 victory.
“This is one of the hardest working teams I’ve been around,” Cozart said. “They deserve everything they get.”
Will Matters came into this game looking to give his seniors a proper send off. In the first quarter he hit three 3-pointers to help the Bulldogs start off with a 19-8 lead.
However, things started to fall apart for Athens in the second quarter. The Wellston defense picked things up nearing the end of the first half.
Thanks to the help of suffocating defense and a 7-2 run to end the half, the Golden Rockets cut the deficit to five as they trailed 26-21.
The dynamic duo of Brayden Whiting and Brayden Markins were held to only five apiece heading into the second half.
The third quarter started off the same way the first half ended; Athens turnovers leading to Wellston points.
However, it did not take long for the Braydens to take over. Markins dropped eight points in the third quarter and Whiting had nine points heading into the fourth quarter.
However, thanks to Cyan Ervin’s impressive shooting, the Golden Rockets only trailed 43-37 heading into the final quarter of play. Ervin finished the night with 27 points and shot 5-for-5 from beyond the arc.
Whiting was a crucial part of the Bulldogs’ fourth quarter take over. Whiting had 13 of the Bulldogs 19 fourth quarter points.
Markins finished the game with 15 points. Another senior who played a very important role in the victory was Nate Trainer, who finished the night with 10 points.
Every senior had the chance to contribute to the game as each of the five seniors scored in the game.
One of the most notable aspects of the victory was that it gave Athens their second straight TVC-Ohio title.
“The last game we’ll ever play here, to be able to say we were champs after that, it’s just awesome,” Markins said.
“It’s pretty special,” Trainer said. “It’s very fitting.”
The Bulldogs travel to Jackson on Friday to cap off their regular season before starting tournament play against Marietta.