Sr Bulldogs Pull Off Upset In Shallow Waters Vs Pirates

On Friday night, the Bulldogs traveled to take on the Cedarville Pirates in a 3A-4 conference match-up. The Pirates were hoping to keep their conference championship hopes alive and the Bulldogs were looking to get one step closer. The Bulldogs had won six games straight and the Pirates had won six of their last seven games. This set up a battle that would be an instant classic!

Darryl “The Kraken” Kattich got the night started off with a put-back basket for the Pirates to give them the early 2-0 lead but then Bulldog, Caden Fuller, answered back with his own basket on the next possession knotted the score 2-2. The Pirates and the Bulldogs would exchange back and forth baskets before Austin Cluck hit a three and get fouled. Cluck completed the four-point play, to put the Pirates up 8-4 early in the first quarter. The Bulldogs then used a 6-0 run to take their first lead of the game, 10-8, behind a basket from Gada Wagner and back-to-back baskets from Braden Williams. That lead was short-lived for the Bulldogs though as Kattich scored a two-point basket on the following possession. Wagner hit a pull-up jumper to put the Bulldogs back on top 12-10. Cedarville ended the first quarter on a 5-0 run, with a Kattich three-pointer and a Tommy Metcalf lay-up, to take the first-quarter lead, 15-10.

The second quarter saw an offensive explosion that made a Fourth of July fireworks show look puny. Dylan Cluck started the second quarter with a basket at the rim and gave the Pirates a 17-12 lead. Jaden Hutchens next scored on the following possession for the Bulldogs. Austin Swaim hit his first of four three-pointers in the quarter to give the Pirates the 20-14 lead. Hutchens came back and connected again for the Bulldogs but Swaim shot back connecting on his second three giving the Pirates a 23-16 lead. In the following possession, Wagner got the basket and free throw to bring the Bulldogs back within four, 23-19. Waldron and Cedarville were relentless in exchanging free throws and baskets to make the score 30-25, Pirates. The Pirates then used an 8-0 run with all 8 points going to Swaim, to take the biggest lead of the night, 38-25. Isaac “The Real” Villarreal stepped up and stopped the bleeding with a deep three and along with a free throw from Jaden Hutchens, the Pirates lead 38-29 going into the half.

Kattich left fans with deja-vu as he got the scoring underway in the second half just as he did to start the game. He netted a running jumper to give the Pirates an 11-point lead. The Bulldogs responded right back with a Wagner 3-pointer to cut the lead to 8 and spark a 12-2 run. Isaac Villarreal hit his second three of the night while Wagner and Hutchens combined for three baskets, and Cedarville’s lead was cut to a point, 42-41. Dylan Cluck stopped the run with a basket from the post giving the Pirates a three-point lead. The Bulldogs used a 4-0 run from Hutchens to take their first lead since the 1:20 mark in the first quarter, 45-44. The one-point lead for the Bulldogs turned into a 5 point deficit as Austin Cluck buried two threes to end the third quarter and give Cedarville the 50-45 lead.

To start the final quarter in this epic showdown, Austin Cluck extended the lead to seven for the Pirates with a put-back basket making the score 52-45. The Bulldogs turned around and used a 10-2 run to retake the lead 55-54 with 4:30 to go in the game. After a block call, Kattich gave the Pirates the lead after two made free throws. Austin Swaim added a bucket to make the score 58-55. Then Jaden Hutchens logged a three for the Bulldogs to even the score once again. Swaim connected again for the Pirates giving them the three-point lead but Jaden Hutchens, who scored 18 of his game-high 23, would answer right back with his second three of the quarter.

Waldron #33 Camdon Holcomb and Cedarville #23 Connor Templeton

The Pirates then added a free throw from Swaim to gain a 1-point advantage. After trading possessions and 13 seconds to go in the game, Gada Wagner found Caden Fuller for the go-ahead layup for the Bulldogs. After a missed three-point attempt, the Pirates fouled Villarreal, who went on to make both free throws giving the Bulldogs a 65-62 lead with 1.9 seconds left on the clock. After a deflection at half-court, the Pirates had one shot with .6 seconds to tie the game but their attempt hit the front of the rim and the Bulldogs took the victory.

Coach Brown stated about the game, “Cedarville is a tough-nosed team and a tough team to beat at home. I’m very proud of our young men and the way they carried themselves. When things didn’t go our way, we responded. When they hit big shot after big shot, we responded. Down 1 with 20 seconds left, we responded! Thank you to every fan that came and made it known that the Bulldogs were in the building. You were the 6th man! I’m proud of every young man that put on that jersey tonight because they have put in the work each day. Games aren’t won on just Tuesday and Friday. They’re won on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday and these guys come to work every day!”

Cedarville #22 Darryl “The Kraken” Kattich and Waldron #13 Isaac “The Real” Villarreal

Coach Brown added, “Our team is resilient. They faced adversity early in the week at Danville and then again Friday night on the road but they found a way. This was a big game and our guys knew what was at stake. We moved one step closer to reaching one of our goals and that is winning a conference championship but we still have work to do!”

The Bulldogs move to 17-5 in total season play and 9-1 in conference and will next play host to Cossatot River on Tuesday, February 2. They will then travel to Charleston on Friday, February 5. Cedarville will next host Hackett on Tuesday, February 2.

Box Score: