Waterford Wildcats fall to the Peebles Indians in the district semi-finals
By: Ella Hughes
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WAVERLY, Ohio (WOUB) — It was a skill battle between the No. 1 Peebles Indians and No. 8 Waterford Wildcats who would face off in the Division VI District Semi-Finals. The Indians would overtake the Wildcats, walking away with a 69-58 victory.
The first quarter was back and forth with each team forcing turnovers but the Indians would find the lead early capitalizing on their possessions. Wildcat Reese Lang was strong with the ball in his hands scoring six points in the first. Peebles would end the frame up 19-13 looking to carry their momentum into the second.
Waterford would come out strong in the second with shots finally dropping allowing them to close in on the Indians’ lead. Josh McClary was leading the Peebles team up and down the court with a dominant style of play that allowed him to take control. The speed and pace of the Indians was a challenge for the Wildcats who played from behind in most of the first half. With four minutes to go in the second and Peebles was up 33-21. Waterford would start to cut into the lead with big rebounds and would end the half down 39-32.
The third quarter was a battle between Lang and McClary who were trading shots for their respective teams. However, it was all Peebles to start the third as they continued to extend their lead and at one point led by eleven points. The Wildcats would take much needed timeouts throughout the quarter to regroup. They would end the quarter down 55-45 and would hope to make a big comeback in the final quarter.
Waterford would start hotter in the fourth and in the first two minutes brought the Peebles lead to within eight. This didn’t stop the Indians from scoring as they would quickly strike back, dominating the boards for their largest lead of the night. The Wildcats would try to cut into the 62-49 lead with Lang continuing to show up for his team. Peebles would remain unrelenting to advance to the Convocation Center with their 69-58 victory.
The Peebles Indians play again next Sunday against No. 5 Beaver Eastern in the Convocation Center as each team hopes to continue dancing.