Sr Bulldogs Mow Over Charleston In Conference Tug-Of-War

The Waldron Sr Bulldogs have nailed down the title of 3A-4 Conference Champions. With three games left in the season, the Bulldogs needed just one win to secure their second consecutive conference championship and they did just that on Friday, February 5 in Charleston. 

The Bulldogs came out firing as they opened the first quarter on an 11-0 run. Braden Williams got the first basket of the game as he cut through the lane and received a pass from Gada Wagner. Jaden Hutchens followed suit with a three-point basket and then a steal and lay-up from Caden Fuller set the score at 7-0. Isaac “The Real” Villarreal logged his signature three and converted the 4-point play, after being fouled. 

With the Bulldogs 11-0, Charleston’s Trenton Goodson got the Tigers on the board in the paint. Villarreal hit his second three-pointer of the game giving the Bulldogs a 14-2 lead. Goodson added a free-throw for Charleston before Hutchens connected on his second three-pointer of the night, extending the Bulldog’s lead to 17-3. Waldron added a lay-up by Wagner and two free throws by Fuller to then make the score 21-3. Charleston ended the quarter on a 4-0 run, with baskets from Brandon Scott and Goodson, to make the score 21-7 at the end of the first quarter.

Charleston launched the second quarter with a free-throw from Brevyn Ketter but Villarreal turned around and netted the next five points for the Bulldogs upgrading the score 26-8. The two teams spent the next few plays exchanging three-point baskets as Bryton Ketter scored his first points of the game and Jaden Hutchens hit his third triple of the night. Brandon Scott issued a three for the Tigers to make the score 29-15. Villarreal was next in line as he hit his fourth three-pointer of the night, giving the Bulldogs a 17-point lead. Blow after blow, Waldron and Charleston laid into each other on the hardwood sending the score into halftime 38-20 Bulldogs.

Charleston got the ball rolling to start the second half of the game by scoring the first four points behind Goodson and Brevyn Ketter to cut the Bulldog’s lead to 14. Jaden Hutchens answered right back with a floater in the lane as Villarreal kept the 3’s party going by delivering his fifth three of the night to get the lead back to 19. Waldron’s Bryson Bailey got in the points column after making a lay-up that finally decided to fall after rolling around the rim a few times. He completed the three-point play giving the Bulldogs the upper hand of 50-41. Dalton Curtis dispatched a three for the Tigers to cut the lead back to 16 but Isaac Villarreal hit back-to-back threes to end the third quarter 56-34 Waldron.

Gada Wagner opened the fourth quarter with a lay-up followed by Caden Fuller with a basket of his own. Ketter hit a two-point for Charleston but the Bulldogs broke the press and Villarreal scored at the rim. Jaden Hutchens sealed his fourth 3-pointer of the night to the Bulldog total, making the score 65-36. With minutes left in the battle, Fuller added a free throw for the Bulldogs while Hutchens forked over the final two for the Bulldogs making the score 68-38. Ransom Merchecka furnished two free throws and Trenton Goodson unleashed 2 more points for Charleston ending the game with a Bulldog 68-42 victory.

Waldron’s Coach Joshua Brown stated, “Words can’t express how proud I am of each individual on our basketball team. I’m not just talking about the 6 or 7 who play the majority of the minutes. I’m talking about each individual who comes to the gym each and every day and works their tail off to make this team better. One through nineteen. Every single one of them!”  Coach Brown added, “Our job isn’t finished. We still have goals that we want to attain. Our goal was to win championships, plural. So if we want to do that we can’t be complacent where we are.” 

The Bulldogs moved to 19-5 on the season and 11-1 in the conference. Waldron will host Booneville on Tuesday, February 9, and Hackett (the Bulldogs Senior Night) on Thursday, February 11. Charleston will be at home against Hackett on Tuesday, February, 9 and travel to Danville on Thursday, February 11. The Bulldogs will have the #1 seed in the District Tournament and will play at home on Thursday, February 18, 2021, at 6:00 p.m. Should they win that game, they will host the finals on Saturday, February 20, 2021, at 4:00 p.m.   

BOX SCORE

Waldron: Isaac Villarreal (26), Jaden Hutchens (22), Caden Fuller (9), Gada Wagner (6), Bryson Bailey (3), Braden Williams (2)—68

Charleston: Brandon Scott (15), Trenton Goodson (12), Brevyn Ketter (5), Dalton Curtis (3), Bryton Ketter (3), Ransom Merchecka (2), Cole Cravey (2)—42