By Johnny Sanders, Sports Editor
MORRIS – After beating Pinson on Monday night, the Clay Chalkville Lady Cougars advanced to the 6A Area 12 championship at Mortimer Jordan High School against the awaiting hosts, the Lady Blue Devils who had a bye in the first round of the tournament.
Clay-Chalkville Lady Cougars head coach Kevin Conner watches as Kameron Sanders directs traffic during a recent game. (File photo)
The game was a classic back and forth game, exactly what you would expect from two quality basketball teams who were playing for the right to host the next game of the playoffs while calling themselves area champs. The Lady Cougars answered the call Wednesday night, defeating the Blue Devils of Mortimer Jordan by a score of 55-51.
The Cougars came out on defense and set the tone for the night, holding the Blue Devils to just 10 points in the first quarter. Clay didn’t blow the doors off offensively, but did score 14 points to outscore the Blue Devils by 4 points to start the game. Kameron Sanders led the Cougars in the first with 6 points to go with 6 from Kamoriah Gaines.
The second quarter was much like the first, with the lady Cougars playing good defense, only allowing 13 points by Mortimer Jordan. The Cougars improved on their first quarter offense by scoring 16 points in the second, led by Gaines with 8 points and Cheyenne Pearson with 4. The score at the half would be 30-23 with the Cougars leading.
Clay Chalkville would come out of the locker room determined to continue controlling the game on both sides of the ball. On the defensive side of the ball, Clay would hold the Blue Devils to just 12 points while scoring 15 of their own. Kimora Brewster would get in on the fun as she led all scorers with 6 points to go with 4 more from Pearson to put the Cougars up 45-35 heading into the final stanza.
In the fourth quarter, Mortimer Jordan had a comeback on their minds, putting up their game-high 16 points during the period. Clay would struggle a bit to find offensive footing in the quarter, only getting 10 points, but that would be enough to seal the win for Clay Chalkville and earn them the title of area champions. Sanders and Gaines would both have 4 points each to combine for all but 2 of the total output for the Cougars in the quarter.
On the night, Kamoriah Gaines had an outstanding game, scoring 21 points for the Cougars. Kameron Sanders added 14 points while Cheyenne Pearson had 12.
“I am so proud of these girls,” said Kevin Connor, Head Coach of the Lady Cougars. “Coach Robinson does a great job over there and they have been one of the top 2 or 3 teams in 6A for the last several years. To be able to go into their building and win an area championship against that team says a lot about my team. We are going to enjoy this one tonight and start getting ready tomorrow for a good Cullman team on Monday night.
The Cougars, now 21-7 on the season, will host Cullman on Monday night in the next round of playoff action.
