Hardwood Heroes
Athens Boys Bulldogs come away with confident win over River Valley
< < Back to athens-boys-bulldogs-come-away-with-confident-win-over-river-valleyATHENS, Ohio (WOUB) — After two non-conference losses, the Athens Bulldogs (4-11, 3-3) returned to familiar territory, playing against the River Valley Raiders (1-15, 0-7) at home after three road contests. The Bulldogs were able to come out on top confidently with a final score of 51-36.
Athens came out hot in the first quarter, scoring 14 points and holding River Valley to only two. Senior shooting guard, Nathan Shadik, set the tone early with 4 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals.
The Raiders dust themselves off in the second quarter, making a huge comeback. In total, they scored 18 points while the Bulldogs only gained 9, bringing the game within 3 points. Heading into the half, the score was 23-20 with Athens barely pulling out ahead, proving that either team could still come out on top.
After a slow second quarter, the Bulldogs came into the second half reinvigorated. The third quarter proved to be a dominant one for the dynamic duo of Nathan Shadik and senior point guard, Landon Wheatley.
The two were on fire in the third, where they both scored most of their points for the game. Shadik would round out the night with 10 points, 14 rebounds, 5 assists and 6 steals. Wheatley would tally for 18 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, and 3 steals.
The fourth quarter sealed the deal for the Bulldogs. After building on their lead in the third, Athens could capitalize on their motion offense to light up the scoreboard, and ultimately came out on top with a final score of 51-36.
The Bulldogs have a tough road ahead, primarily their trip to Alexander (10-5, 5-2) on Friday to take on the Spartans in a conference matchup.
“Our backs are against the wall; we can’t lose again. We had to take care of business at home against River Valley tonight, and now we’re looking for Alexander on Friday,” says Nathan Shadik.
After the conference win against River Valley, a key win against Alexander would put Athens in good positioning to secure a piece of the conference crown.