Waterford advances to regional final with win against Fisher Catholic
By: Jamey Spears
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LOGAN, Ohio (WOUB) – The 24-1 (10-0) Waterford Wildcats met the 22-4 (14-0) Fisher Catholic Irish in the OHSAA region 27 semi-final. The Wildcats took the lead early to cap off the 51-22 win against the Irish.
Avery Wagner and Avery Smithberger dominated in the paint with 22 points combined. Wagner led Waterford with 17 points, 12 rebounds, five assists, three blocks and three steals.
The Wildcats jumped out to a 12-2 run in the first quarter. Kendall Sury and Elsie Malec hit back-to-back three-pointers to close out the quarter.
The second quarter was just like the first quarter. Waterford held the Irish to five points in the second by slowing down the ball. Kendall Sury knocked down another three that led to a timeout by Fishers Catholic.
Head coach Jerry Close said “We didn’t shoot any quick shots and that was key to winning this game.”
Going into halftime, Waterford led 25-7. The Wildcats kept the pressure up on the Irish with aggressive play by Elsie Malec and Brynnlee Pottmeyer. Malec had 3 early fouls, but that did not stop her aggressiveness on defense.
In the second half, Hadli Gillum was the light in Fishers Catholic’s offense. She hit from deep three times and ended the game with 11 points. But, it would be too late for the Irish to come back as Waterford took the game 51-22.
After the game Sury said, “Going into Saturday, we have to play our game because both teams know each other very well.”
Waterford will move on to the regional finals to play Berlin-Hiland. The Wildcats and Hawks played last year in the regional finals. Waterford won 53-51 and are looking to repeat history to book their trip back to the state semi-finals.