After taking on such talented teams as Acorn and Ozark in this past week’s Booneville Bearcat Basketball Invitational, the Waldron Sr High Bulldogs finally sealed the deal. Placing runner-up the past four years in a row, the Bulldogs ultimately got it done in the final round of the tournament and walked away Champions! Waldron took on the Prairie Grove Tigers in the championship round and after some intense ball action on the hardwood, the Bulldogs took the win 59-38 putting them 5-0 on the season.
This year the Bearcat Invitational held teams from Acorn, Ozark, Cossatot River, WYC, Prairie Grove, and Paris. But it was the Bulldogs that came out on the top. “We are trying to get better every day and win the day,” explained Head Coach, Joshua Brown. “We talk about having a Championship mindset and winning today! One day at a time. Staying present. Respecting everyone and fearing no one.” With Waldron being undefeated so far, its apparent that kind of thinking is paying off.
The Bulldogs earned seven assists thanks to the help of Jacob Avila, Gada Wagner, Payton Brown, and Ruben Valdez. On the defensive side, there were 12 steals made with Brown taking eight of those, Valdez with two, and Mason Ford and Isaac Villarreal with one each. “Defensively we have played better and that is the place we knew we needed to grow the most. This team is deep with talent and we know we have guys who can come in and play and help us win ball games.”
Brown led the team in scoring with 36 points with 12 of those points coming from sinking four 3-point shots. Villarreal delivered five points while Ford, Avila, and Wagner made four apiece. Jaden Hutchens brought in three points, Valdez made two, and Sam Slater obtained one. “We are about to go through a gauntlet as we play 4-0 Lavaca on Tuesday, November 26 and come back after Thanksgiving break and play Mena, Bergman, and Shiloh Christian at the UARM Classic on December 3.”
“I believe the game against Prairie Grove was our best defensive effort of the year and we have to build on that effort on Tuesday against Lavaca. They are a very good team and very well coached. They have a lot of quickness on their team. They push tempo and shoot the ball very well as a team. Their posts work very hard and we will have to keep them off the glass. They have a lot of seniors with an abundance of experience.” The Waldron Bulldogs will hit the court starting with Jr High at 4 p.m at Lavaca.
