BLACKSVILLE, W.Va. — Sometimes first-time jitters can last an entire game, and the Clay-Battelle High girls’ basketball team was the unfortunate victim of their nerves Tuesday night, falling to Cameron, 45-32, in the face of its fast, hard-hitting man defense.
Liv Ammons led the Cee-Bees (5-4) in the low-scoring game with 16 points, although nine came in the last few minutes of the fourth quarter — when she managed to find room to play her aggressive, slashing style of ball, taking fouls and hitting nine of her 10 free throws.
Aggressive is the keyword, as it went both ways, though it was far from being similar.
Cameron’s raucous play was like watching an octagon fighter going after a stationary punching bag, as the Dragons (6-3) racked up 25 fouls — 14 of which came in the second half. Unfortunately, even in the face of a sloppy press, the Cee-Bees couldn’t connect on their free buckets, hitting just 14 of 25 (56%) — one of the linchpins in the loss.
“We got to the point where we were desperate,” C-B coach David Joyce said. “We don’t have AAA ballplayers that are used to playing a full 1-on-1 man defense. If you look at dumb things like missed foul shots, turnovers and giving up offensive rebounds over and over, you’re looking at a ball game right there.
“It was jitters. It’s that man in your face pressure that threw us off. When we ran an offense, it went smooth and we scored. We just wouldn’t do it. Plain out wouldn’t do it. I think that’s because when you have someone in your face and can’t see what’s going on, you start freaking out.”
The first quarter started out slow amid the aforementioned aggressive defensive play, with Cameron forcing a slew of turnovers and outscoring Clay-Battelle, 12-5.
The Cee-Bees began to wake up in the second quarter, fighting against the full-court press to force fouls while Sydney Wilson netted five points off two field goals and a solo free throw. Clay-Battelle would hold off the Dragons’ assault, allowing just six points to close the half down 18-10.
The second half looked as if it would be a mirror image of the first, as Lili Neely knocked down a 3-pointer on the Dragons’ first possession just as she did in the opening seconds of the game. Cameron went cold after that, however, and Wilson’s fire from the second quarter was still flickering for two points and a trip to the line. Cameron began to put extra pressure on Wilson, icing her production but opening lanes for Ammons to net four points. The final quarter played out fast with Neely hitting another trey early on while Cameron’s Kori Scott, Madelyn Canoda and Gracie Carter combined for six more points to keep their lead well padded.
In total, Clay-Battelle shot 9 of 29 (31%) from the floor and missed all five 3-point attempts. Cameron, on the other hand, managed to hit 14 of 46 (30.4%) from the field, but only netted 4 of 21 (19%) from beyond the arc. Further, the Dragons forced 21 turnovers and gave up 14.
“Some of the kids were turnover-prone — balls going through our hands on inbounds and catches, handing the ball over at midcoast,” Joyce said. “It was just sloppy basketball. We knew it was coming, and it should have been easier to play against it.”
Beside Ammons’ 16 points, Wilson netted seven points and Camren Watson tacked on four. Cameron was paced by Neely with 18 points, Scott with nine and Canoda with eight.
“We’re still learning and looking for that ball handler we no longer have. It’s been a transition for every kid to step up into one position. I told the girls that I’m not mad because we lost because we’re still learning,” Joyce said.
The Cee-Bees return to action on Friday with a home game against Tygarts Valley. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.
Dragons remember Rylee Burnette
Prior to tip-off, Cameron gifted the Cee-Bees with a pair of white and blue basketball shoes in remembrance of Rylee Burnette. The entire Dragons team signed the shoes.
“Rylee was a [sneaker head],” Joyce said. “She was just a nut about shoes, so we’re going to display them for a while and then give them to the Burnette family.”
