By Kyle Parmley
At 5:40 p.m., Justin Haynie and his wife were the only people in the gymnasium. In 80 minutes, the sub-regional round of the state playoffs would begin with a matchup of incredibly talented, No. 9 Shades Valley and Clay-Chalkville, an undermanned but scrappy bunch.
Haynie quietly prepared the gym for the night ahead. The sound system needed to be hooked up. The water coolers required filling up. He completed the tasks quietly, undoubtedly running over his team’s game plan over and over in his head, wondering how the Lady Cougars could hang that night. Warmups commenced, and nothing stood out. Both teams appeared with a workmanlike demeanor. The starting lineups were announced to a crowd of a few hundred. Nothing too crazy.
But then, something crazy.
The game started about as expected. Shades Valley looked like the more talented team. The pressure defense was troubling the Lady Cougars, and stopping multiple Division 1-level players on the Lady Mounties would be hard for any team. Not time to panic though. The game was in its infant stages. So Haynie looked to his bench to provide some size to counteract Shades Valley.
Amiya Payne, a 5-foot-11 7th grader, came in and went to work. She scored five points at the end of the first quarter, and looking up at the scoreboard, Clay-Chalkville led the game, 12-11.
She played with physicality, and couldn’t miss a shot, exactly the combination Clay-Chalkville needed. She finished the game with nine points, and the Lady Cougars aren’t in that game without her. Payne provided that boost, that surge of confidence that would carry over the rest of the way.
Alex Johnson, the Lady Cougars’ de facto center, was tremendous. She positioned herself perfectly the entire game on offense, as Clay-Chalkville’s greatest success on offense was pushing the ball up the floor, drawing Johnson’s defender up, giving her a bounce pass, and she laid it in time and time again. She finished with 17 points.
Last season, Johnson does not execute that play with the same degree of consistency. Her improvement in a year’s time on offense with her touch around the rim, and on defense with her shot blocking – without fouling – and rebounding. The Lady Cougars aren’t in that game without her.
Jasmine Battle is another player that you just can’t say enough about. Her ability to make tough shots in the lane all night is a big reason the Lady Cougars looked up at the scoreboard and found themselves with a 33-22 lead at halftime over a frustrated Shades Valley team.
Corralling a loose ball and putting it back in off the glass. No problem. Absorbing contact in the game and muscling it back up and in, somehow, some way. No problem. Battle, in other words, battled all night. She scored eight points. The Lady Cougars aren’t in that game without her.
As the game transitioned into the third quarter, knuckles grew whiter and the intensity picked up. Unfortunately, point guard Raven Omar hit the floor for a loose ball and picked up her fourth foul not even midway through the third quarter. We’ll come back to that pivotal moment.
There was no time to dwell on it, though, as there was still work to do. Shades Valley turned up the pressure once again, with a full-court trap. After a couple rough possessions, Clay-Chalkville started breaking the press.
Summer Pettway had to assume ball-handling duties and split up to three defenders every possession just to get the ball across half court. But when she did, she drove the lane and dumped it off to Johnson, for basket after basket.
A 13-point lead dwindled to six after three quarters, as Shades Valley began to show some composure and hit shots. That lead disappeared for good with about five minutes to play.
If you thought the Lady Cougars were done fighting after surrendering the lead, you probably weren’t there that night.
Pettway wasn’t done contributing after Omar came back in the game, and she buried an enormous three-pointer to cut Shades Valley’s lead to a point with a minute to go. Even though she missed a three that would’ve given Clay-Chalkville the lead and possibly the win, she scored ten points, and the Lady Cougars aren’t in that game without her.
Credit the Lady Mounties. They pulled out the win when it mattered. At the end of the game, the scoreboard read, “HOME 58, GUEST 61.”
Sophomore Mekaila Hill scored seven points in the game for Clay-Chalkville. She’s got a high ceiling. She can shoot, and showed off the ability to penetrate the lane a few times. Hill also showed quick hands, poking the ball away from the offensive player a handful of times. Hill improved all season, and the Lady Cougars aren’t in that game without her.
Akeria Medlock’s season didn’t go as planned, as she battled injury and illness for much of the final stretch of the season. But her length played a factor in the game, as the ability to rebound the ball and box out while also stretching a defense with a shooting touch. The Lady Cougars aren’t in that game without her.
Don’t forget about Paige Johnson and Darci Champion. Johnson is a battle-tested senior and is just a solid all-around basketball player, able to provide minutes whenever and wherever needed. Champion is only a sophomore but showed flashes throughout the season. Their role on the team cannot be understated because of what they bring to the team in not only the games, but by making practice a battle for whomever they are up against. The Lady Cougars aren’t in that game without them.
Back to that pivotal moment. Without Omar on the floor, the Lady Cougars could have easily crumbled and given the lead away in mere minutes. But that’s not the nature of that team. They fought, and found a way to make progress without her on the floor. Omar was out of the game for nearly a quarter of game time, and Clay-Chalkville still held the lead when she came back in. But there’s no doubt, the Lady Cougars aren’t in that game without her.
After the game, Haynie stands in the doorway separating his office from the court. Part of him is likely second-guessing what he could have done differently. Part of him is undoubtedly incredibly proud of his team. He and his wife are the only ones left in the gym.
The lights are turned out on a night that came so close to magical; to end a season Cougar faithful will be proud of.