Cold shooting hampers Waldorf in 95-60 home loss to Midland

FOREST CITY, Iowa. Midland used a blistering shooting performance and a dominant effort on the glass to pull away from Waldorf, handing the Warriors a 95-60 defeat in GPAC play Saturday afternoon in Forest City, Iowa.

Midland seized control early with a series of first half runs, turning a one-point game into a double-digit margin behind efficient perimeter shooting. After Waldorf briefly held a 5-3 edge, Trey McCain's 3-pointer at the 15:30 mark put Midland in front 6-5, and the visitors never trailed again. Back-to-back 3-pointers from McCain and Butch Lordeus pushed the lead to 9-5, and Midland methodically built the advantage to 19-7 on a triple by Jake Orr with 11:14 left in the first half.

The Warriors struggled to match Midland's pace and shot-making in the opening 20 minutes, heading into halftime down 48-25. Midland shot 40-for-70 (57.1%) from the field and 11-for-21 (52.4%) from 3-point range for the game, while Waldorf finished 18-for-65 (27.7%) overall. A 3-pointer by Anthony Simon stretched Midland's lead to 39-21 late in the first half, and Orr's jumper in the closing seconds made it 48-25 at the break.

Midland continued to apply pressure out of the locker room, opening the second half with a McCain layup to make it 50-27. A 3-pointer from McCain and a fast-break dunk by Orr quickly extended the margin to 64-29 with 15:22 remaining, and Midland's largest lead reached 44 points later in the half. The visitors' balanced attack and ball movement were evident in a 26-8 advantage in assists and a 48-16 edge in points in the paint.

Waldorf found more rhythm offensively after halftime, scoring 35 points in the second half and connecting on nine 3-pointers overall, but the early deficit proved too much to overcome. The Warriors were out-rebounded 44-28 and limited to four fast-break points, but continued to compete to the final buzzer. Cartier Parr capped Waldorf's scoring with a 3-pointer in the final two minutes to set the 95-60 final.

Conner Aldridge led Waldorf with 14 points, while Nick Graves added 10 as the Warriors tried to chip away from the perimeter and at the free-throw line, where the team went 15-for-19 (78.9%). Defensively, Waldorf matched Midland with seven steals and recorded two blocks, but Midland's hot shooting and interior presence ultimately dictated the game.

McCain paced Midland with 18 points on 8-for-10 shooting to go along with four rebounds and five assists in 26 minutes. Orr contributed 17 points, five rebounds and four assists, and both Lordeus and Dylan Simons added 12 points apiece. Simons nearly posted a double-double with nine rebounds and five assists as Midland's depth and efficiency carried the visitors to a comfortable road win. Waldorf now sits at 5-14, with a 1-10 record in GPAC play.