WALDRON -- Waldron found itself down in the first quarter against Elkins on Friday night. Junior guard Isaac Villarreal quickly changed that when he emerged from the Waldron bench on his birthday.
Villarreal finished with 18 points to help Waldron claim a 62-54 victory against Elkins at the Waldron Activity Center. Villarreal had 16 of the team's 39 points in the second and third quarters to spark a come-from-behind victory in a 1-3A Conference matchup.
"He came off the bench and has done that all year because he brings us that energy," Waldron Coach Joshua Brown said. "He is our sixth man. He got us going when he got in there. What a birthday present for him."
Waldron (16-4, 5-1) found itself down 20-6 after the first quarter. Elkins made 4 three-point baskets and 8 of 11 overall to build the early cushion.
"They came out and played well against us," Brown said. "It was close early. But they hit some shots. We knew they could do that.
"But we know it's a four-quarter game. We knew if we could weather the storm, we'd have a chance."
Waldron found its way in the second quarter by making 7 of 13 shots from the field. Waldron's Payton Brown, who finished with a game-high 20 points, hit a three-point basket at the buzzer to cut the Elkins lead to 31-29 heading into halftime.
Waldron didn't look back in the second half, outscoring Elkins 16-6 in the third quarter. The Bulldogs made 7 of 12 shots from the field while limiting the Elks to 2-of-9 shooting in the quarter.
"We came in at half and made some adjustments," Brown said. "Our kids did a good job handling the pressure. We had a lot of guys step up. It's been like that all season. We made some shots when we needed it. We rode that wave the rest of the game."
Waldron amassed a 45-37 lead heading into the final quarter. Payton Brown made it a 54-48 lead with about two minutes left with a basket, and the Bulldogs were able to hold on.
Elkins (16-2, 4-1) was led by Caden Vaught's 16 points. Carson Perrenoud and Paxton Barnett each added 12 for the Elks, who lost their first game since November.
The loss snapped Elkins' 12-game winning streak. Waldron bounced back with a win after having its eight-game winning streak snapped earlier in the week on the road against Charleston.
Girls
Elkins 45, Waldron 29
Elkins used a strong third quarter to pull away for a road victory Friday night at the Waldron Activity Center.
Elkins (12-4, 4-1) broke open a 14-14 tie at halftime to take a 31-19 edge into the final quarter. The Lady Elks made 8 of 10 shots while limiting Waldron to 1-of-6 shooting in the third quarter.
Elkins made 6 of 11 from the field in the fourth quarter to keep Waldron out of reach. The Lady Bulldogs made just 2 of 12 shots in the final quarter.
Elkins was led by Bryn Shirley's game-high 11 points. Avery Hutchinson added 10 points off the bench for the Lady Elks.
Chelsea Stidman finished with a team-high eight points for Waldron (8-11, 2-4).
Sports on 01/18/2020