For their first conference game of the season, the Waldron Sr High Bulldogs did what they do best and that’s winning. Staying home, the Bulldogs invited the West Forks Tigers to join them in a little hardwood tango. The first-quarter showed both teams having equally matched dance moves but come the second quarter, the Bulldogs were dancing solo.
Waldron took the lead and never let up sending the Tigers packing with a 74-57 loss. This win puts the Bulldogs 1-0 in conference play and 8-3 on the season. Waldron ended their night with an 80.6 two-point percentage making 25 out of their 31 attempts. The Bulldogs also earned a 75 percent in free throws.
Payton Brown was the ringleader both offensively and defensively for the Bulldogs bringing in 37 points, seven of the 16 total team assists, and seven defensive rebounds. Isaac Villarreal mopped the floor with the Tigers earning him 11 points. Gada Wagner was hot on his trail with 10 points. Jacob Avila and Mason Ford earned five and four points respectively with Ford also sealing the deal on seven defensive rebounds. And combining for seven points was Braden Williams, Ruben Valdez, and Caden Fuller.
The Bulldogs were faster than a thief in the night taking 11 steals with Valdez leading the pack with four. Waldron also pulled in a total of nine offensive rebounds and 25 defensive rebounds. Coach Joshua Brown fills us in on his team, “We can’t take possessions off. Defensively, we have to continue to improve and make sure that we finish possessions. We also have to start limiting our turnovers.”
Next up for the Bulldogs is the always entertaining match-up with the Mansfield Tigers. It’s always a hardcore battle when these two towns face each other in any sport so this is one you don’t want to miss. Last season, Waldron took all three wins against Mansfield and this time around, the Bulldogs plan to continue the tradition. Waldron plays in Mansfield on Friday, December 20 with a 5 p.m. start time.
