Hardwood Heroes
Waterford faces heartbreaking loss to Newark Catholic in overtime agony
By: Ashley Pomplas
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The Waterford Wildcats faced the Newark Catholic Green Wave in an overtime thriller, but ultimately fell to the Green Wave 62-61.
The first quarter was electric on the hardwood. Waterford initially won the tip and stopped scoring on the other end with a block by Avery Wagner. The Green Wave pressed the Wildcats on defense, but the Wildcats pushed out of the press to score the first basket of the game. Both teams were suffocating each other on offense and defense. Waterford slowly began to slip on defense in the first, allowing for key shooters for the Green Wave wide open. Waterford was down by seven ending the first quarter.
Newark Catholic continued to press Waterford on defense, not allowing them to enter the paint. Waterford struggled to circulate the ball on offense, losing out on opportunities to score. The Wildcats began to pick up the pace, going back-to-back offensively forcing the Green Wave to call a timeout. The team began to get their head in the game, closing the gap to be within one point of Newark Catholic. Wagner ended the quarter strong with an intense block. Going into the locker room, Waterford was down by one point against Newark Catholic, 23-22.
Entering the second half, Kendall Sury and Wagner were key players for the Wildcats. Sury was in a hurry to gain points for the Wildcats, earning six points within the first few minutes of play. Wagner put up seven points throughout the quarter, drawing shooting fouls and keeping the Wildcats ahead. The team made a defensive comeback to keep a short lead against Newark Catholic. Waterford with four points going into the final eight minutes of play.
Newark Catholic and Waterford were playing call and response with baskets, staying within a few points of each other. Newark Catholic would take another lead forcing Waterford to call a timeout. While Waterford was losing the ball to turnovers, they were determined to stop Newark Catholic from scoring with an electric defense. The Wildcats got back into the game, tying up the score with the Green Wave. Waterford would have possession of the ball with the final seconds of the game, but were unable to capitalize forcing the game into four minutes of overtime.
Waterford won the tip for the final minutes of play, but Newark Catholic quickly gained possession of the ball. Newark Catholic would gain a short lead, but Waterford would tie the game with more shooting fouls and points gained at the charity strip. The score would stay within one point for the majority of the additional quarter. Waterford was down by one with less than a minute of play, both teams would call timeouts to run the time. With three seconds of play, Waterford lined up to clutch the game winning shot. Ultimately, they lost the possession with a turnover and fell to the Green Wave 62-61 in a heartbreaking fashion.
Up next for the lady Wildcats, they will play TVC Hocking heavyweight Federal Hocking Lancers on their home court. Tip off for varsity is 7:30 p.m.
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