Hardwood Heroes
The Athens boys’ notch an impressive conference victory against the Meigs Marauders
By: Chloe Workman, Morgan Anderson
Posted on:
ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB) – Many fans walked into the McAfee Gymnasium on Tuesday night expecting an underdog loss from the Athens Bulldogs (4-13), but instead left with an unexpected upset from the Meigs Marauders (12-5).
The Marauders sat third in the Tri-Valley Conference with the Bulldogs trailing behind at fifth. However, the Athens boys team brought the heat into their conference matchup. Right after tip-off, Nathan Shadik and Levi Neal set the tone for the game with two back-to-back three pointers. Both teams capitalized on the game’s energy; making it a shot-for-shot match-up. Meigs topped off the first quarter with a lead of 10-12.
Jumping into the second quarter, the Marauders lost their offensive momentum. A powerhouse on the hardwood, Nathan Shadik, led Athens’ offense with four three-pointers. The Bulldogs were able to create widespread coverage on the court through the help of Landon Wheatley and Derrick Welsh.
By the second half of the game, Meigs was defensively eliminated from the game. Between Athens’ sharp attacks on offense and their consistency, they could not keep up with their strides. Meigs’ leading scorer was Brayden Stanley with twelve points. Meanwhile, Athens’ leading scorer took the reign as Nathan Shadik with 24 points.
Head coach, Mickey Cozart, described his team and their rolling momentum best, “We’ve been a different team since break.” Players, coaches and fans alike will be watching to see what this different team will do next.
Stepping off the hardwood with a final score of 61-46, the Athens Bulldogs left the McAfee Gymnasium with a conference victory. The boys will leave the doghouse and travel to Nelsonville-York (10-9) on Friday night for another conference game.