Waldron played fast and furious in its first meeting with Triton Central on Nov. 30.
With Eli Sego back in the lineup for Triton Central after missing that first meeting with the Mohawks, Waldron had a whole different pace about them Friday in the first semifinal game of the Shelby County Tournament at Southwestern High School.
The Class 2A, No. 10 Tigers pushed Waldron’s offense out beyond the 3-point arc and limited the Mohawks to just 29% shooting from the field in the first three quarters.
That allowed Triton Central to build a double-digit lead in the first half in part to Sego scoring 14 points and getting the Tigers a 26-15 halftime lead and 33-20 advantage after three quarters.
Triton Central head coach Mark James spread the floor in the fourth quarter and forced Waldron to chase.
“They got the lead and went to that four-corner set with no shot clock … and once they got the lead they played stall ball,” said Waldron head coach David Korder.
That strategy was effective in taking time off the game clock but it stalled out the Tigers’ offensive performance and Lucas Shaw (photo) went into attack mode for Waldron.
The junior scored 10 of his game-high 15 points in the final eight minutes but it was not enough to get Waldron any closer than seven points and the comeback attempt fell short.
Triton Central only took five shot attempts in the fourth quarter and had seven turnovers but still prevailed 42-35 to reach tonight’s county tournament championship to face Morristown.
No other Mohawk scored more than six points in the loss. Waldron (4-5) shot 12 of 34 (35%) from the field.
“We are a decent shooting team but not a great shooting team,” said Korder. “That is something we have to work on. We tell the kids you are the most open when you first catch the ball and some of them still haven’t grasped that concept yet.”
Sego did not score in the second half and Silas Blair (main photo) only had two of his 12 points over the final two quarters as the Tigers (8-3) scored just 16 second-half points.
“(Eli) is a heck of player and they are not going anywhere. I’ve seen their middle school team and they are good,” said Korder. “They are going to be good for the next four, five or six years. They have a solid team that is well drilled and very disciplined and especially when they get the lead and spread the floor like that. It is hard to come back on them without a shot clock.”
Max Crouse finished with seven points – all in the second half.
Steve Bush photos
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