Waldron regroups, turns away Elkins

WALDRON 62, ELKINS 50

MANSFIELD — The Waldron Bulldogs pride themselves on never giving up when things don’t go their way.

That was on full display Thursday night in a semifinals matchup at the Bill Frye Invitational. Waldron found itself down 14-0 to start the game but rallied for a 62-50 victory against Elkins at Tiger Gym.

The balanced attack for the Bulldogs was guided by 13 points each from Jacob Daggs, Trenton Hunt, and Ethan Mayberry to go with 11 points from Lidge Stinson.

“We never quit, but it’s going to lead me to having less hair,” Waldron Coach Josh Atchley said with a laugh. “Our motto as a team is to fly the W. We take pride in our town and want to represent them well. Our kids do it on the court and in the classroom. I’d put my guys up against anybody battling through adversity.”

Waldron (14-3) scored 81 points in a first-round victory making just about every shot. That wasn’t the case to start Thursday’s game for the Bulldogs, who missed their initial nine shots and were down 140.

Elkins (7-9) blitzed them with three-point shooting to open the game. Steven Holland, who finished with a game-high 18 points, and Trace Keller, who had 16 points, each hit two shots behind the arc for the early lead.

Waldron then hit the reset button in the second quarter to take a 32-26 halftime lead with Mayberry hitting a shot just before the buzzer. It was apart of a 8-2 run to close out the first half strong. The Bulldogs scored 11 points before they missed a shot from the field to start the second frame.

“I’m proud of the way the guys were able to respond,” Atchley said. “We scored 81 points yesterday making shots and we missed those same shots this game. I feel fortunate with our depth an entire new group brought that second-quarter energy. That is special to have that kind of depth off the bench.”

Mayberry was a big part of the turnaround, as he finished with an 11-point second quarter for Waldron. He opened the quarter with a three-point basket and got to the line often to start the come-from-behind effort. The Bulldogs used a 13-2 run to finally take a 23-22 lead with 3:24 left in the second quarter.

“We got to do what we got to do to take care of business,” Mayberry said. “Yesterday shots were falling, but they weren’t for us in this game. We changed our mindset and got to the rim. I’ll do whatever is needed for this team.”

The defense played a big role in Waldron’s success in the second quarter as well as Elkins made just three of 11 shots and had 10 turnovers. Waldron used a 9-3 run in the third quarter to push its edge out to 40-31.

Daggs was a big part of the scoring stretch with three consecutive baskets for the Bulldogs. The Bulldogs put the game well out of reach with a 6-0 run in the fourth quarter for a 56-39 lead capped with a three- point basket from Hunt. Elkins, who was without Coach Jared Porter because of sickness, closed out the game with a 9-4 run but was too far behind to get any closer.

Waldron returns to the final after winning the Bill Frye Invitational in 2019. The Bulldogs now hope to close out the calendar year strong by adding another trophy to the case.

“We’ve had a couple good years at the tournament and would love to win it again,” Atchley said. “It is a perfect tournament for us because it’s just down the road. Mansfield does a great job running this. We love coming here and facing some great teams from across the area. We are a better team already because of this event.”