Bulldogs Swept by the Green Wave of Midway
It's December 10, 2024 - and the Midway Green Wave rolled into Wartburg, TN for a full night of basketball. It would be a night where the girls Junior Varsity take the floor along with the standard girls and boys varsity games. When the Junior Varsity took the floor, they held their own for about a half of play. I remember a specific moment when it was 28-28... but then shortly thereafter, Midway started running away with it. The defense began to press, and it scrambled the young guns of Wartburg. The Junior Varsity ladies came up with a loss to start the night.
Next up was the Varsity girls at 6:30. The Lady Bulldogs came into this contest 3-3 on the season while the Lady Green Wave... or Waves... I'm really not sure what to do with their mascot... The Midway girls team came in with a record of 4-1 - looking very strong on the season. They continued their strong season with a win over the Lady Bulldogs who have suddenly hit a cold spell. Tonight's 47-29 loss marks a third straight loss for the Lady Bulldogs - but at 3-4 on the season, they have plenty of room to make a run!
To close out the night, the Varsity Boys took the floor. The Midway Boys Team came in with a 2-3 record after struggling with losses to familiar teams like Oliver Springs and Sunbright. The Wartburg Boys came into tonight's game with a winning record of 4-3 and a hot 2-game winning streak where they looked unstoppable on the road against both Oakdale and Monterey. They played a very tight game down by 1 at the half... up by 4 at the end of the third... but ultimately losing by a score of 57-54 in a tough, hard-fought battle of wills and attrition.
Next up was the Varsity girls at 6:30. The Lady Bulldogs came into this contest 3-3 on the season while the Lady Green Wave... or Waves... I'm really not sure what to do with their mascot... The Midway girls team came in with a record of 4-1 - looking very strong on the season. They continued their strong season with a win over the Lady Bulldogs who have suddenly hit a cold spell. Tonight's 47-29 loss marks a third straight loss for the Lady Bulldogs - but at 3-4 on the season, they have plenty of room to make a run!
To close out the night, the Varsity Boys took the floor. The Midway Boys Team came in with a 2-3 record after struggling with losses to familiar teams like Oliver Springs and Sunbright. The Wartburg Boys came into tonight's game with a winning record of 4-3 and a hot 2-game winning streak where they looked unstoppable on the road against both Oakdale and Monterey. They played a very tight game down by 1 at the half... up by 4 at the end of the third... but ultimately losing by a score of 57-54 in a tough, hard-fought battle of wills and attrition.
Cheerleaders Bring It On Again
For a school the size of Wartburg Central High School, we should be thankful to have a cheer squad as big as we do. They take big trips to Disney, go to serious camps in the summer, and bring their A-game to every Wartburg game. They are some of the unheralded athletes of Wartburg... so a shout out in this write-up goes to Jeremiah Duncan. Duncan has won accolades for his prowess on the basketball court as recently as Middle School, but the big sophomore decided to take his talents to the Cheer Squad this year. He can be seen lifting girls high and doing pushups during foul shots all game long. I'd say let's take it up a notch - and do those pushups on your knuckles - Cobra Kai style! Strong work young man!
The Girls Can't Catch a Break
The girls came into this game with a record of 3-3, but narrow losses to Oneida and Monterey came in Overtime action. If those close calls had gone the other way, the girls would've come into this one 5-1 with a whole different energy. The Bulldogs were down Kaylee "Splints" Ledford and her typical full stat line tonight which really hurt against a tough opponent like Midway. Myrah "All Good" Hood continued to stack up points with her 17 points and 7 rebounds tonight. Braylon "Queso" Melton had an efficient night of shooting with 8 points and going 3/4 from the free throw line. She is not afraid to hustle herself right into traffic and take contested shots. She has a fearlessness to her game that is enviable. Hood and Melton combined for 25 of the 29 Bulldog points tonight.
Tonight's freshman spotlight goes to a duo of young ladies that got to shine a bit tonight. A great shot above from Tara B Photography getting both young ladies in the same frame. This isn't Bradlee "B-Rad" Sexton's first time in the freshman spotlight. Bradlee is exactly what we need in the paint when the rebounds aren't coming. As soon as she entered the game, she quickly gobbled up 4 rebounds. Not to mention her excellent play and lucrative scoring in the Junior Varsity game. Bradlee will quickly find herself getting more minutes with the Varsity if she continues to produce when given the opportunities.
Another freshman pictured above is Addison Brown. I can remember hearing this young lady's name called over the loud speaker with regularity while watching Middle School games. She was a frequent contributor in Middle School and worked her way into the varsity rotation tonight, albeit late in the contest. As far as I can tell, her two point bucket was her first varsity score of the season - but definitely a sign of bigger things to come!
Another freshman pictured above is Addison Brown. I can remember hearing this young lady's name called over the loud speaker with regularity while watching Middle School games. She was a frequent contributor in Middle School and worked her way into the varsity rotation tonight, albeit late in the contest. As far as I can tell, her two point bucket was her first varsity score of the season - but definitely a sign of bigger things to come!
Landon Quinney Dad Joke
Quinney had a typical stellar night for him... 13 points, 5 rebounds, 4 steals, 1 block, 1 charge, 1 assist... While I was sitting there pondering the senior Quinney's good game... I came up with my own dad joke...
- Question: Why does Landon Quinney always wear long sleeves when playing?
- Answer: Because he's got ice in his veins!
Feel free to use that one for free!
- Question: Why does Landon Quinney always wear long sleeves when playing?
- Answer: Because he's got ice in his veins!
Feel free to use that one for free!
It's Merely a Flesh Wound
Lawson Swint is an enigma. Where Landon "Long Sleeves" Quinney always gives you a consistent performance - Swint likes to be a different player every game. One game he's Dennis Rodman on the inside duking it out with the bigs... The next game, he's Steph Curry shooting multiple threes. Tonight, he was kinda both of those players combined - knocking down 2 more three-pointers as part of his 10-point effort. But what he really reminded me of was the knight in Monty Python and the Holy Grail. I realize that movie is old... It's older than me - and it has that weird British humor that not everyone gets. But this one particular scene, a knight engages in a battle and proceeds to get taken apart - but he refuses to admit that he's hurt and keeps coming back at the opponent as if at full strength. Tonight, Swint was taken out more than once, and his ankle looked to be in bad shape by the end of the contest - not to mention one of the takedowns looked like he bounced his head off the floor. He played through the pain with a ton of heart tonight... He's what you might call... Country Strong.
Lucas Wilson Getting Open
This photo is the perfect timing where a face reads, "What have I done????" This is what the poor Midway player must've been thinking when he was standing on the tracks and the L-Train was coming through... if you didn't catch it... let me zoom in on it for you...
But in all seriousness, Wilson did a great job tonight of setting screens and then charging toward the basket. He scored one very easy bucket for his 2 points... and he would've had 2 more if they hadn't been negated by a questionable charge call. Great work Wreck it Ralph!
Killer Bees Goes Ham With the Game on the Line
Austin "Killer Bees" Beasley is a reserve player for the Bulldogs - but you know what you are going to get when he goes in. He's going to give you 150% effort, dive at least once, and maybe get knocked down another time in limited minutes. He plays hard. After the Bulldogs went from winning by 5 to losing by 7 in a relatively short swing of events - Beasley came in and just started playing bully ball. With Midway knowing they couldn't turn the ball over, Killer Bees just walked up and took it from the opponent... not once, but TWICE in the course of about 30 seconds late in the 4th quarter. I was blown away that Midway wasn't more careful... but then again... a swarm of Killer Bees on the defensive makes you do crazy things.
It's never fun to lose - but it's always fun to play. The teams all have a couple of days to practice, strategize, and game plan for Oliver Springs this Friday. Let's hope for a great slate of games with positive outcomes all around!