Sports
Waterford Stays Undefeated Against Alexander
By: Alex Harrison, Joseph Payton
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The Waterford Lady Wildcats (14-0, 11-0) continued to roll against the Alexander Lady Spartans (11-5, 6-2) with a 65-50 victory. Although Freshman Rachel Richardson led the Lady Spartans with 26 points, Dani Drayer and Megan Ball made sure that they could not secure the upset they were hoping for.
Waterford won outstandingly, but it wasn’t the shellacking they usually hand out. The Lady Wildcats didn’t pull away until the fourth quarter, but Alexander didn’t exactly have themselves in a position for a win.
The Lady Spartans were only down 10 at halftime, but eight first half turnovers took Alexander down. Waterford didn’t miss opportunities, only having one turnover in the first half, and scored 32 points in the half. Drayer and Ball had all but 10 of Waterford’s first half points.
Alexander came out of the half looking like a new team. Richardson put up upperclassmen numbers with eight points in the third quarter and closed the gap to within five points. Although Richardson’s intensity stayed, the Lady Spartans chances sizzled out with the end of the third quarter.
“Rachel is a kid who, when she is aggressive like she was tonight, she plays pretty well,” said Alexander Coach Cory McKnight.
Defense collapsed for Alexander in the fourth as the Lady Wildcats put up 15 in the frame. Waterford had its run away opportunity, and it seized the chance. Alexander had to foul to attempt to get closer, but Waterford was 9 of 11 from the charity stripe.
Waterford was too fundamentally strong for Alexander on the night. The Lady Wildcats could pass, shoot, and had no problem with defense. The turnover battle significantly benefited Waterford, having 12 steals while only giving up four of its own turnovers.
The Lady Wildcats came out on top 65-50, and will continue to run with the No. 1 D-IV state ranking. Waterford will battle against Miller on Wednesday Jan. 20, giving the Lady Wildcats a rest after this matchup with a good Alexander team. The Lady Spartans will ball against River Valley, a squad which has fallen on some tough times, losing five of its last six. Alexander will tip off against the Lady Raiders on Thursday Jan. 21.