The 3A-1 West conference host an immense amount of talented teams but so far this basketball season, none have been able to hold a candle to the Waldron Sr High Bulldogs. On Friday, January 10, in the little town of Lincoln, while the weather outside was delivering its own punches and blows, there was also a storm brewing inside the Wolves den. Waldron had come to town and they were ready to unleash their Bulldog tornado.
And unleash it they did. With a final winning score of 85-71, Waldron upgraded their conference record to an undefeated 4-0 keeping them as the top dogs of their division. The Bulldogs also sit 15-3 in total season play. “The entire team fulfills their roles very well,” explains Coach Joshua Brown. “We have a different guy who steps up every night and helps us with scoring.”
“One night it may be Isaac Villarreal with 15 points and the next night it might be Jacob Avila. Gada Wagner had a career-high record the other night with 20 points against Cossatot. We have guys hitting shots all over the place which makes it hard to key in on just one person. We are scoring the ball a lot better as a whole. Mason Ford does a great job defensively and grabs a lot of boards. We have multiple guys coming off the bench and giving us great minutes.”
Payton Brown was the offensive captain of the Bulldogs ship who delivered 59 points in the game with 5 out of 12 three-pointers. Jacob Avila was a calm and composed tipster who netted 10 points. Isaac “The Real” Villarreal was an orange hurricane using the entire court to his advantage giving him six points on the scoreboard. Braden Williams and Mason Ford brought in four points each by outwitting the Wolves in every play. And Bryson Bailey was able to fly under Lincolns radar to get two points in the books.
Next up for the Waldron Bulldogs is another huge conference game at Charleston on Tuesday, January 14. This game is sure to be packed with plenty of intensity as the Tigers along with Elkins both sit hot on the Bulldogs heels at 3-0 in conference play. “Charleston is always tough at their place and they just have a tradition of winning. We got over the hump last February against them and I think our kids are confident in their ability. Charleston is always a tough-nosed team defensively and they do a good job at their roles. We have to limit Ross and not let them get going from the outside.”
