By Adam Allen
The 2021-2022 season saw the Waldron Bulldogs capture their third straight conference title and finish the year undefeated in the Waldron Activity Center, passionately referred to as the WAC. In fact, the Bulldogs have not lost a contest inside the friendly walls of the 34-year-old gymnasium in 675 days and counting. That’s right, Waldron last dropped a game at home on January 8th, 2021. “There is just something special about this place”, added Bulldogs Coach Josh Atchley, “it’s got some magic in it.” The ‘magic’ that he is referring to just might be the passionate Bulldog fans that found themselves getting to enjoy Bulldog basketball nearly every night at home this opening week.
The opening opponent of the Bulldogs was the 2A defending state champion Lavaca Golden Arrows on Tuesday, November 8th. Some early season jitters were evident as the Bulldogs struggled to find any consistency on the offensive end throughout the opening quarter of play. As the first quarter ended, the Dogs found themselves with seven turnovers and holding a narrow three-point advantage, 11-8. However, the next quarter Waldron started to heat up, growing their lead to nine as they capitalized at the free throw line going 11 for 13 in the second quarter alone. Senior guard Petey Justice opened up the second half on both ends of the floor. Lavaca dumped the ball down low as Justice stood his ground and absorbed the contact for an offensive foul. On the next trip down the court, senior guard Lidge Stinson dropped off a no-look pass to Justice in the middle of the lane where he finished an acrobatic lay-in. Battling foul trouble the entire first half, the Bulldogs returning all-state guard Trenton Hunt heated up in the 3rd. A steal led to a hoop and harm for the senior and then a transition three-point bucket pushed the Bulldogs’ lead to ten. Senior guard Ethan Mayberry intercepted the next pass and pushed it coast to coast with the lay in, as Hunt finished a baseline drive. The scoring run had built the lead to 16 and forced Lavaca to call a time-out.
The fourth quarter was a back-and-forth affair with Lavaca cutting into the Dogs’ lead but never could get it back below ten, winning by a final of 55-43, marking the first regular season loss for the Golden Arrows since Christmas time of last year. Hunt lead Waldron in scoring with 15 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 steals. Mayberry finished with 13 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals. Seniors Forrest Efurd and Lidge Stinson each added 8 points as well.
In the second game of the week-long homestand, the Bulldogs welcomed the Paris Eagles to town. A familiar opponent of the Dogs in past seasons as conference foes, these two had played against each other an amazing five times last season with Paris upsetting the top-seeded Bulldogs in the opening round of the district tournament, before Waldron got revenge in an overtime thrilling victory in the regional tournament. With both teams being state tournament participants last season, as well as each returning several key contributors, this game was set up to be a great early-season challenge for both sides. The scoring started with a step-back three-pointer by Hunt to get the Dogs on the board, which in turn made it rain stuffed animals on the floor. The annual ‘Toy Toss’ game features a toy drive where all items collected are donated to the Waldron City Hall to assist families at Christmas time. It wasn’t long before Mayberry got in on the three-point shooting by adding one of his own from the right wing.
The Bulldogs found themselves in foul trouble throughout most of the first half, but the scoring didn’t stop as Efurd, sophomore Roky Avila, and senior Kason Moudy stepped up for the Bulldogs on the offensive end and Hunt finished the first half with 15 points. Petey Justice and senior Jacob Daggs grabbed numerous rebounds and every loose ball en route to securing twelve boards between them. Avila, 6 foot 4, looked the part as he finished with eight points on the block for Waldron as they grew the advantage to 52-33 entering the fourth quarter.
The fourth quarter showcased several of the young Dogs as sophomores Aden Allen and Keegan Lynch, along with juniors Kason Davis and Kaiden Johnson all got in on the scoring. Hunt finished with 23 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals. Mayberry added 16 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 steals. Efurd had 9 points and was 3 of 4 from the three-point line. Coach Atchley had this to say about his team’s early season performances, “This team is so fun to coach. They absolutely understand the value of celebrating each other. Next time you watch a game notice how those guys love to hype each other up. I am proud of how they handled the challenges this tough opening week brought them. We will continue to iron out some personnel packages that we have been working on and really grasp our roles on this team. I just want to add a ‘Thank You’ to everyone who packed the WAC this week. We have been tough to beat in our gym and it is because of the energy you guys bring. Everyone wants to fly the W!”
Waldron will hit the road next week and head to Magazine for a four-game night on Tuesday, November 15, and finish the week in the opening round of the Mansfield Turkey Week Shootout when they take on the Tigers on Friday.
