Sports
Waterford Lady Wildcats: Dec. 6-12
By: Tony Heim
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Waterford girls basketball is becoming somewhat of a dynasty in Southeastern Ohio; the program has won 11 of the last 12 conference titles per varsity coach Jerry Close.
This week proved the team is hungry for another title. The Lady Wildcats defeated the Wahama Lady White Falcons, their only opponent of the week, 57-4 to notch their third victory of the season.
The win pushed Waterford to 3-0 on the season and in the conference, with its other wins coming against Trimble and Belpre. The Lady Wildcats have defeated teams by roughly 43 points a game, a testament to the experience they bring back from last year’s Division IV state runner-up team.
“We lost one girl to graduation-Taylor Hilverding- that was very key… we’re returning seven of the kids who played in the state tournament,” Close mentioned.
Although the score does not indicate it, Close believes this game was important for the team as a whole.
“The Wahama team played hard,” Close said. “Everybody got some playing time and it’s better to play in games than practice because you get to play someone different.”
This week is the Lady Wildcats’ chance to prove that they are worthy to be called Ohio’s second best team in Division IV. Waterford travels to Miller on Dec. 14 to face a Lady Falcon team coming off a 39-point win against none other than Wahama; a win will push Waterford to 4-0 in the conference.
The Lady Wildcats also host the Southern Tornadoes, who is 5-1 going into Saturday’s game against Eastern Pike, on Dec. 17. Close sees the Tornadoes as one of the better teams in the conference, and the standings back that up. Southern and Waterford are the lone remaining undefeated teams in Tri-Valley Conference-Hocking Division.
Finally, Waterford wraps up next week, when it travels to Federal Hocking on Dec. 19.
Waterford finished undefeated in conference play last season and through three games, it looks poised to repeat that impressive feat.