Waterford defeats Belpre 44-34, wrap up conference play undefeated
By: Natalie LaFleur
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BELPRE, Ohio (WOUB) — The Waterford Wildcats (19-1, 10-0 TVC-Hocking) traveled to Belpre to take on the Belpre Golden Eagles (13-7, 7-3 TVC-Hocking) and found themselves in an aggressive match up. Despite the Golden Eagles finding themselves leading after the first quarter, the Wildcats surged ahead and took home a 44-34 win to close out conference play.
Belpre was ready to battle after tip-off. The Golden Eagles moved the ball, played tight defense, and forced the Wildcats to foul. The frustrated Wildcats racked up five team fouls in the first quarter alone, sending Belpre into bonus. This aggressive effort from Belpre led by Gracie Bills paid off, and the Golden Eagles found themselves ahead of Waterford 13-10 to wrap up the first quarter.
After recollecting, the Wildcats came out ready for revenge in the second quarter. Ava Hurley ignited with energy and forced Belpre to foul on a break away. After making both free throws, Waterford claimed the lead. Hurley made yet another layup and the Golden Eagles called a timeout. After regrouping, Belpre couldn’t find a way to catch Waterford. The Wildcats held the Golden Eagles to zero points in the second quarter, and both teams headed to the locker room with the Wildcats leading 23-13.
In the third quarter Waterford asserted dominance with senior superstar Kendall Sury finding a rhythm of her own. Despite their tight defense and putting up shots, the Golden Eagles couldn’t match the explosion of Sury. She put up 15 points to launch the Wildcats to a 23-point lead to conclude the third quarter.
Belpre was forcing jump balls and hustling on defense in an attempt to catch up with the runaway Wildcats in the fourth quarter. The Golden Eagles found a last-minute eruption of energy and cut the deficit to 10 points with the efforts of Gracie Bills and Julia Way. Bills wrapped up the game with 15 points and 14 rebounds, but it wasn’t enough to come out on top, and the Wildcats defeated Belpre 44-34.
With this win, Waterford finished up the regular season undefeated in the conference. Head Coach Jerry Close said he’s proud of the girls who came off the bench and stepped up due to sickness spreading around the team. They are preparing to tip off with Williamstown this upcoming Saturday at 6 p.m.