Waterford wins a tight match against Southern.
By: Eva Greene
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WATERFORD, Ohio (WOUB) – The Southern Tornadoes (5-10) headed into Wildcat territory as they take on the Waterford Wildcats (8-8) in a physical battle. Waterford defended home turf by beating the Tornadoes in a close one, 35-31.
In the first quarter, the Wildcats started off strong, scoring on back-to-back possessions. With the Tornadoes calling a timeout to calm nerves, Southern’s defense shutting out Waterford for over five minutes. Meanwhile their offense clicked as well with a three and a couple of jump shots. Southern led at the end of the first quarter 9-6.
In the second, Waterford’s offense turns a new gear. Thanks to Ava Hurely’s and-one, Waterford takes over the momentum. The Wildcats take advantage of the Tornadoes missed opportunities as they go on a 7-1 scoring run to close the quarter. Not to mention, Waterford’s defense held Southern to only three points. The score at halftime was 18-12, Waterford.
In the third quarter, Waterford came out strong as they carried their momentum from halftime. As they forced Southern to multiple turnovers which led to the Wildcats increasing their lead from 18 to 25. However, the Tornadoes woke up and cut the deficit from eight to one after the Wildcats missed passes and shots. At the end of the third, Waterford was still up, 25-24.
The final quarter was intense and physical the entire time with both offenses scoring points when needed each time. Multiple fouls from Southern led the Wildcats to lead by five, but the Tornadoes didn’t stop.
They cut Waterford’s lead back to three, with their defense forcing multiple turnovers. It came down to which defense could step up and hold the opposing side. The Wildcats were able to step up to the challenge as they played physical and forced Southern into uncomfortable situations. An Elsie Malec steal sealed the game for Waterford, 35-31.
Waterford will head to the Frontier Cougars on Jan. 19, looking to continue their momentum. Meanwhile, the Southern Tornadoes will head back home to take on the Ravenswood Red Devils.