Hearts Broken on Zettler
My travels took me to the highly anticipated rivalry battle between Watterson and Hartley. This one had so much on the line. A win by Watterson would clinch their 3rd straight CCL title while a Hartley win would keep them alive for a share of the title. This game was intense and the atmosphere felt like a tournament game and featured controversial calls. Early on Watterson struggled from the field thanks to Hartley’s aggressive zone. Both teams struggled offensive being tied at 6 late in the first quarter. Watterson grabbed a 12-10 lead at the end of the first quarter. The 2nd quarter was a defensive battle as both teams struggled to score offensively. Both teams exchanged 3-pointers by Bella Parker and Camille "RealDeal" Gregory. The hawks were able finish the quarter strong thanks to Kiarra "Shifty" McElrath and Kami "2Sports" Kortokrax and took a 19-15 lead into halftime. Hartley held Watterson scoreless for the final 7 minutes of the half only allowing 3 points. Hartley extended the lead to 6 before the eagles went on a 12-5 run to close the quarter fueled by a Grace "Da Baller" Cantwell three and great play from seniors Danielle "The Closer" Grim and Kilyn "Tough" McGuff to lead 27-26 at the end of the 3rd quarter. The 4th quarter was the most intense quarter I have seen all season long as both teams left it out on the floor. A quarter that had multiple lead changes. A Kiarra "Shifty" McElrath three gave Hartley the lead only to see Watterson retake the lead 31-29 before Kami "2Sports" Kortokrax regain the lead on a cold-blooded 3. The eagles maintained their composure and cut Hartley’s lead to 1 late on a Danielle "The Closer" Grim jumper. Then both teams exchanged huge three pointers by Grace "Da Baller" Cantwell and Milyana Williams. A late foul to Ella Brandewie had a chance to make it difficult for Watterson to win but she split a pair of free throws setting up late drama. Watterson had one last possession and gave the ball to Danielle "The Closer" Grim who hit a cold-blooded fade-away 3-pointer to win the game and their 3rd straight CCL title. With the win Watterson finishes the regular season at 10-3 and have won 5 out of the last 6 in the rivalry while Hartley drops to 10-4 with one game remaining versus Ready.