Class A, No. 1 Waldron flexed its defensive muscle Saturday afternoon to overpower Bloomfield, 46-26, in the second game of the Southwestern Regional.
Bloomfield scored the first four points of the semifinal then scored four points the rest of the first half to fall behind the Mohawks 25-8.
Waldron’s 12-0 run erased the solid start for the Cardinals (12-12) and a 13-0 run in the second quarter put the Mohawks (23-1) in complete control.
Prior to the game, Bloomfield head coach Ron Knepp, who was making his fifth regional appearance in seven seasons, was concerned about his team’s penchant for turnovers and not getting enough quality shots.
Waldron made that fear come to reality, forcing eight turnovers in each of the first two quarters. Bloomfield finished the game with 27 turnovers and shot just 30% from the field on 33 shots.
Brianna Bucher and Delaney Richardson led Bloomfield with six points each. Kinley Moody and Gracie Lowry each had five. Lowry had a game-high 10 rebounds.
Nichole Garner led Waldron with 14 points, four assists, two rebounds and two steals. Megan Bogemann was 3-of-6 from the 3-point line on the way to 13 points.
Once Waldron got the lead to double digits, it was not challenged again. The Mohawks shot 40% from the field and hit 5-of-6 free-throws while committing just 10 turnovers.
With the win, Waldron advanced to the regional championship game and set a program record for wins in a season with 23.
In the first Southwestern Regional semifinal game Saturday morning, Bethesda Christian avenged a regular-season loss to Greenwood Christian.
Kenzie Fulks scored 25 points, grabbed eight rebounds and handed out six assists to lead the Patriots to a 54-42 victory and the program’s first regional championship game appearance.
Greenwood Christian struggled to hit shots from the 3-point arc and the free-throw line. The Cougars shot 31% from the field, 25% from the arc and 50% from the free-throw line to see their season come to an end.
Ellie Bigelow led Greenwood Christian (14-12) with 20 points in her final game.
With the game tied 8-all midway through the first quarter, Bethesda Christian scored the final seven points to take a 15-8 lead it would never relinquish.
Fulks scored 10 points in the second quarter and the Patriots took a 29-16 lead into halftime.
Bigelow scored seven points in the third quarter but the Cougars still trailed 40-28 at the break.
Fulks was a perfect 8-for-8 from the free-throw line over the final eight minutes to seal the win.
Paige Vawter scored 14 points for Bethesda Christian and Sydney Goodin finished with eight.
Bethesda Christian 54, Greenwood Christian 42
BC: Fulks 6-17 12-14 25, Daugherty 1-5 0-0 3, Goodin 4-4 0-0 8, Vawter 6-12 0-0 14, Ferguson 2-6 0-2 4, Dodson 0-2 0-1 0, Heim 0-0 0-0 0, Peach 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 19-46 12-17 54.
GC: Bigelow 6-12 7-12 20, Simon 3-9 1-2 8, O’Dell 0-7 0-0 0, Waldron 2-10 0-4 4, Chapman 2-4 0-0 5, Grider 1-2 2-2 5, Carlson 0-1 0-0 0, Jolley 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 14-45 10-20 42.
SCORE BY QUARTERS
BC (15-7) 15 14 11 14 -- 54
GC (14-12) 8 8 12 14 -- 42
Three-point field goals: BC 4-14 (Fulks 1-2, Daugherty 1-4, Vawter 2-5, Ferguson 0-1, Dodson 0-2), GC 4-16 (Bigelow 1-3, Simon 1-5, Waldron 0-3, Chapman 1-3, Grider 1-2). Rebounds: BC 30 (Fulks 8, Daugherty 5, Goodin 3, Vawter 4, Ferguson 8, Dodson 1, Peach 1), GC 22 (Bigelow 5, Simon 4, O’Dell 5, Waldron 4, Chapman 1, Grider 2, Jolley 1). Assists: BC 7 (Fulks 6, Ferguson 1), GC 4 (Bigelow 1, Simon 2, Waldron 1). Steals: BC 3 (Fulks 3), GC 9 (Bigelow 3, Simon 1, Waldron 3, Chapman 1, Jolley 1). Blocks: BC 1 (Ferguson 1), GC 1 (Bigelow 1). Total fouls: BC 14, GC 18. Fouled out: Simon (GC). Turnovers: BC 17, GC 14.
Waldron 46, Bloomfield 26
WA: Had. Ross 2-9 1-2 5, Shaw 1-2 2-2 4, Garner 5-10 2-2 14, Bogemann 5-10 0-0 13, B. Larrison 0-2 0-0 0, J. Larrison 2-4 0-0 4, Fewell 1-2 0-0 2, Hal. Ross 0-2 0-0 0, Sheaffer 0-1 0-0 0, Benson 2-3 0-0 4, Hensley 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 18-45 5-6 46.
BF: Moody 2-4 1-2 5, Bucher 2-8 1-2 6, Lowry 2-6 1-2 5, Godoy 0-5 0-0 0, Richardson 2-6 2-5 6, Mietus 1-1 0-0 2, Myers 0-0 0-0 0, Walker 1-3 0-0 2. Totals: 10-33 5-10 26.
SCORE BY QUARTERS
WA (23-1) 10 15 12 9 -- 46
BF (12-12) 4 4 10 8 -- 26
Three-point field goals: WA 5-12 (Shaw 0-1, Garner 2-3, Bogemann 3-6, Hal. Ross 0-1, Sheaffer 0-1), BF 1-7 (Bucher 1-3, Godoy 0-4). Rebounds: WA 17 (Had. Ross 4, Shaw 3, Garner 2, Bogemann 1, B. Larrison 3, J. Larrison 1, Hal. Ross 2, Hensley 1), BF 26 (Moody 4, Lowry 10, Godoy 5, Richardson 7, Mietus 1). Assists: WA 8 (Had. Ross 1, Garner 4, B. Larrison 1, Fewell 1, J. Larrison 1), BF 6 (Moody 1, Bucher 1, Lowry 1, Godoy 2, Myers 1). Steals: WA 8 (Had. Ross 1, Garner 2, Bogemann 1, B. Larrison 2, J. Larrison 1, Hal. Ross 1), BF 2 (Godoy 2). Blocks: WA 2 (Shaw 1, Hal. Ross 1), BF 2 (Bucher 1, Richardson 1). Total fouls: WA 11, BF 8. Turnovers: WA 10, BF 27.
(Tyson Conrady photo: Waldron senior Bella Larrison (32) advances the ball with Bloomfield's Kinley Moody (11) in pursuit during Saturday afternoon's regional semifinal game at Southwestern High School.)
