The Bill Frye Classic started off with a pair of talented teams squaring off as the Waldron Lady Bulldogs took on a fierce Hackett Lady Hornets team. These teams rarely meet up on the hardwood so the game was a treat for all to see. Waldron definitely put on a show with their never give up attitude and defeated the Lady Hornets 40-28.
From tip-off to the final buzzer, the Lady Bulldogs played a nailbiter. Waldron’s offense seemed a little rusty in the first half as they coughed up turnovers allowing Hackett to stay in the game. At the end of the first quarter, the Lady Bulldogs were neck and neck with the Lady Hornets with a score of 9-8 in Waldron’s favor. The second quarter was more of the same as both teams tried to get one over on their opponent. Defensively, the Lady Bulldogs shut down Hackett at almost every turn. They also started playing aggressive defense which kept the Hornets quick offense at bay. Going into halftime, the Lady Bulldogs were all tied up 20-20 with the Lady Hornets.
After the half, Waldron found their offensive rhythm and started heating up the basket. Fast break scores and capitalizing on turnovers looked natural. With the offense now sinking shots and the defense cutting off Hackett, the score gap increased slowly but surely. With a solid 12 point victory over a talented Lady Hornet team, Waldron is ready for their round two matchup against the Booneville Lady Bearcats in the semi-finals on Saturday, December 28th at 3 p.m.
The Lady Bulldogs made stealing look natural as they ran away with 12 total steals in the game. As for rebounds, well Waldron fans should buy stock in rebounds as the Lady Bulldogs racked up a combined 31 off the backboard offensively and defensively. Leading the Lady Bulldogs in points was Chelsea Stidman who was two of five from three-point range and lit up the scoreboard with 25 total points. Hailey Stidman was able to knock down an impressive nine points in the game while Kadance Espinoza and Jessica Ozuna rounded out the Lady Bulldogs scoring with a combined six points.
