The Dogs came into Thanksgiving break on a two-game losing skid against DeQueen and Fort Smith Southside to make their record 5-2. Looking for an opportunity to get back on track, the Dogs traveled to Mena to play the Bearcats. The rivalry between the Dogs and Cats runs deep in Scott County, and the Waldron fans flocked to Bearcat arena to watch their boys play.
“Fish” McConnell opened the game for the Bulldogs with a long three-pointer to ignite the crowd. The Dogs began in a 2-3 zone defense which has come to be a staple for them. Trenton Hunt was able to get an elbow jumper to fall to make the Dogs lead 5-3. With the Dogs playing zone the Bearcats were shooting outside shots early which led to long rebounds. The Dogs were not able to come down with many rebounds which gave the Bearcats a lot of second-chance opportunities. Waldron was sloppy with the ball in the 1st quarter, and they were unable to finish on a lot of good looks from inside. After a Camdon Holcomb put-back layup the 1st quarter ended with the Dogs down 7-12.
To begin the 2nd quarter the Dogs extended their zone to put some pressure on the ball handlers. Drew Owens nailed a 3-pointer and quickly after got a steal which led to an Ethan Mayberry layup to tie the game at 14. Sophomore Chris Lopez checked into the game for Waldron and quickly made an impact by getting a layup to fall. After the layup, the Dogs began to full court press the Cats which led to some Mena turnovers. Waldron was able to capitalize with Owens getting a floater to fall and Trenton Hunt burying a 3-pointer to make the Waldron lead 22-18. Coach Atchley elected to leave a small-ball lineup in the game with 5 guards on the court. To end the half Lopez was able to go coast to coast and finish a nice layup to make the score at halftime 26-23 Waldron advantage.
The Bulldogs were firing on all cylinders in the 3rd quarter. Hunt went on an 8-0 run by himself that included two three-pointers and a layup to make the score 33-25. The Bulldog’s press and zone proved to be too much for the Bearcats to handle as they only scored 2 points in the whole quarter. Owens was again able to get a steal which led to an easy transition layup to push the Dogs lead to 37-25. After a technical foul by Mena, Waldron had all the momentum. The Dogs were able to get to the line and force turnovers. Hunt ended the 3rd quarter with a 3-pointer from the logo to make the score 45-25 in favor of Waldron. The Dogs went on a 19-2 run in the 3rd quarter.
In the 4th quarter Mena was the one that was applying the pressure. The Bearcats were able to force a lot of turnovers and had numerous second chance opportunities. They were able to get the game within 9 points after being down 20 with a score of 50-41, but after the Dogs were able to beat the press twice in a row which led to two Camdon Holcomb layups, the Bearcats were forced to foul.
The Dogs put the game away from the free throw line and ended the game with the final score being 57-47 advantage Waldron.
Trenton Hunt led the Dogs in scoring with 16 points. Owens was the second leading scorer with 9 points. Holcomb added 8 points and 6 rebounds and Lopez had 7 points.
The Bulldogs will play the Prairie Grove Tigers on December 1st at 7:00 at West Fork as part of the West Fork classic tournament.
