The Waldron Bulldogs enter this Thanksgiving break on a tear. The Sr High Bulldogs matched the best start in school history after they knocked off a former conference foe in the Cedarville Pirates in the second round of the inaugural FCA Turkey Week Shoot-Out played at Mansfield.
School may have been out of session, but the gym stayed open as the Bulldogs traveled back up highway 71 to challenge the Pirates. An unusually slow start, led Waldron coach Josh Atchley to find some energy off the bench as Jacob Daggs and Caden Hunt both made tough contested finishes at the basket to spark the Dogs at the end of the 1st quarter. As the 2nd quarter got underway, Waldron erased a six point deficit with some great on-ball defense by the senior trio of guards Lidge Stinson, Trenton Hunt, and Ethan Mayberry. The relentless full court press provided by the Bulldogs allowed Waldron to take a ten point advantage into the half.
The second half was all Dogs as they allowed their defense to fuel their offense and saw transition points from Stinson, and Petey Justice. Jacob Daggs, nursing an ankle injury sustained against Magazine, provided a presence on the rebounding glass as well as manning the inside of the Bulldogs’ zone. Roky Avila joined the scoring party by finishing a couple of post entry assists from Hunt and Forrest Efurd.
The three-headed monster of Mayberry (18), Hunt (18), and Stinson (7) combined for 43 points.”I was excited about the way some of those guys responded after a slow start to the game. We are really blessed as a team to have a ton of guys that can come in and help us win ball games and you saw that tonight as we had ten guys score. Overall, I am very pleased with our growth thus far this season,” Coach Atchley had to say after the Bulldogs fifth win of the season.
The final matchup of the FCA Turkey Week Shoot-Out squared up the Mulberry Yellow Jackets and the Waldron Bulldogs. Mulberry, with a 6-5 record, looked to be the team to slow down the Dogs. Waldron has started three previous seasons at 5-0, but looked to break that school achievement going into the Thanksgiving holidays.
Offense was limited in the opening quarter, but the Dogs found themselves with a ten point lead, 13-3 going into the second quarter. The opening possession saw a familiar sight for Bulldogs fans, Petey Justice taking a charge. He has registered 11 charges on the season. An 8-1 run was started by a driving finish by Lidge Stinson, a post entry bucket by Trenton Hunt, an assist by Forrest Efurd for another Hunt basket, and a post move finish by Justice led to a timeout by Mulberry. Waldron controlled the game from opening tip to final buzzer as Aden Allen scored a couple of tough buckets on the inside.
Lidge Stinson led Waldron in scoring with 14 points, 3 assists, and 4 steals. Trenton Hunt added 13 points, 5 rebounds, 4 steals, with Petey Justice finishing with 10 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 steals. The Bulldogs will enjoy a much needed Thanksgiving break before traveling to another tournament in the Bearcat Invitational hosted by Booneville, November 29th through December 3rd. The opening round will see the Dogs take on the Danville Little Johns at 5:15 on Tuesday.
