Waterford used a 19-0 run, and a 21-7 third quarter advantage, to carve a path to an appearance in the OHSAA Girls Basketball state championship game. The Wildcats trailed 28-19 early in the second half, rallying to beat Buckeye Central 53-39.

It was the Buckettes with the hot touch in the first half, shooting 60% from field (9-15), and behind the 3-point line (3-5) in the first half, claiming a 23-17 halftime lead.

Waterford enjoyed balanced scoring with seniors Cara Taylor and Mackenzie Suprano leading the way with 13 each. Freshman Avery Wagner contributed 12, to go with nine rebounds and three blocked shots.

Buckeye Central shot a robust 46.7% from the field, and got a game-high 16 from Claudia Pifher.

It’s the fourth time in eight years that Waterford has reached the Division IV title game, losing in 2015 and 2017, while Jerry Close coached the 2016 Wildcats to the state championship.

However, the 2021-22 version is a young team, with only three of 11 players on the roster wrapping up their senior seasons.

Up next on Saturday, a match-up with New Knoxville in the Division IV championship game, which begins at 5:15 p.m. on Spectrum News 1 and the Spectrum News App. Coverage starts at 5 p.m. with OHSAA Championship Gameday hosted by MaryLee Melendez and Dave Cecutti.