Waterford claims first victory over conference rival
By: Charlie Ihlenfeld
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GLOUCESTER, OHIO (WOUB) – The Waterford Wildcats triumphed 50-39 on the road against the Trimble Tomcats. It was the Wildcats first victory of the season in the second game of the five game road stretch to open the year. In the mold of any TVC-Hocking battle, the teams were physical, and while the Tomcats never led after 2-0, they constantly threatened the Wildcats throughout. With free throws in the final minutes of the fourth quarter, Waterford was able to stave off a late Trimble rally. The Tomcats remain without their first win under new head coach Tracy Blevins.
In the first quarter, both teams got to work. The Wildcats and Tomcats launched a barrage of threes, but it was Waterford who snatched the advantage. Behind Finn Pennock’s eight first quarter points, the Wildcats leaped out to a 19-10 lead. The sophomore guard was the leading scorer for Waterford with his 17 points. The game took a turn into a TVC-Hocking classic, getting gritty and defensive for the rest of the way.
Out of the huddle, Trimble launched a full-court press. The Tomcats were successful in limiting turnovers, but both squads buckled down defensively. While both squads managed to muscle their way to a few buckets, it was a far cry from the previous quarter. Trimble managed to cut the deficit to six, trailing 27-21 at the half.
The Tomcats continued to rally in the third quarter. Jumping on mistakes by the Wildcats, the Tomcats got the Wildcats lead all the way to three. After a lengthy scoring drought, Waterford called a timeout and changed tactics. DJ Cunningham moved his players out of the paint, and Finn Pennock capitalized. He scored two buckets to give Waterford much needed breathing room. Exiting the third quarter, the Wildcats had built their lead back to 36-27.
In a physical final quarter, the Tomcats rallied one final time. With 1:35 left in the game, Trimble brought the lead down to five points. Clutch free throw shooting would sink Trimble’s hopes as their players fouled out. Behind the efforts of Cole Sparling-Ponchak, Waterford gritted through the final quarter to claim a 50-39 victory.
The Wildcats improve to 1-1 and 1-0 in the TVC-Hocking while the Tomcats fall to 0-2 and 0-1 in the conference. Waterford will head on the road again next Friday to face their arch-rival, the Fort Frye Cadets. Trimble will look to rebound in the conference against the Southern Tornadoes on the same date.