Hardwood Heroes
Seniors Shine for Waterford to Clinch TVC-Hocking Title on Senior Night
By: Charlie Ihlenfeld
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It was net-cutting night for the Waterford Wildcats as they clinched the TVC-Hocking title with their 48-12 rout of Trimble Lady Tomcats. It was the final home TVC-Hocking matchup for the Waterford girls, and as a consequence, it was senior night at the Cooper. Madi Hiener and Kari Carney were honored prior to the beginning of the game. They both started the contest for the Wildcats, and it was pedal to the metal for the seniors against the Lady Tomcats.
In the first quarter, suffocating defense was the name of the game for both teams. Through the grind, the seniors showcased their ability to lead this team. All nine of the Wildcats’ points were tallied by the two seniors with seven coming from Kari Carney. After one quarter, Waterford fought their way to a 9-0 lead.
Following a physical first quarter, Waterford exploded for 30 points to create separation from the Tomcats. They were spurred by none other than senior Madi Hiener. She went 5/5 with four of those shots coming from beyond the arc. Hiener finished with a career high 16 points adding four assists, one rebound, and a steal. To put the cherry on top of a dominant quarter, she hit a buzzer beater to send the Wildcats into the half up 39-9.
In the spirit of the night, Coach Jerry Close made sure to involve the future of Waterford in the game. Freshmen and sophomores got plenty of opportunities to log minutes in the second half. As a consequence, the third and fourth quarters saw the stars of Waterford get a chance to rest on their laurels. The Wildcats coasted to a 48-12 victory over the Tomcats, and they finished 11-1 in the TVC-Hocking.
The Waterford Lady Wildcats take home their third straight TVC-Hocking title, and their seventh in the last eight years. When talking about their streak of dominance on top of the conference, Madi Hiener remarked, “Coaches always say, do you want to be a part of that? And we do. Every team is looking at Waterford, and going, “You have to beat Waterford first.” I think having that on your back is a really big driving force in getting to that top level.”
The Waterford girl’s squad will wrap their regular season on Wednesday versus the Fort Frye Cadets at home. They have a first-round bye against in the playoffs, and the Wildcats will look to defend their Division 4 title.