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Madonna girls’ state run concludes

RECEIVING — Madonna’s Alaina Moore receives a pass during Tuesday’s Class A state quarterfinal matchup against Cameron. -- Kyle Lutz

CHARLESTON — When it comes to sports, it’s always tough to defeat a team multiple times in a season. For the Cameron’s girls basketball team, its first assignment on its first trip to the West Virginia Class A state tournament was to beat a solid Madonna team for a fourth time.

Despite a cold-shooting afternoon, the Dragons can put a check inside that box. 

With the defense helping force 21 turnovers, as well as the Blue Dons shooting 22.2 percent from the field, Cameron got its first state tournament win in school history and advanced to the Class A semifinals with a 42-24 victory Tuesday at the Charleston Coliseum.

The No. 2 seed Dragons will take on Calhoun County at 11:15 a.m. Thursday.

“It definitely wasn’t our prettiest game. Every time we have played Madonna, we have not shot the ball well. A couple of times it’s been 18 percent, 22 percent. (Tuesday) wasn’t much better,” Cameron coach Holly Pettit said. “Luckily, we were hitting our free throws, and I think we played good defensively. I think we rattled them enough to where they weren’t taking good shots. I surely hope we shoot better the rest of the tournament.” 

The Dragons shot 25 percent from the field (13 of 52), and as their starters were struggling in the first quarter, it was Aubre Cain-Loy who came off the bench to provide a spark. 

With only one field goal made in the first five minutes of the contest, Cain-Loy hit a big 3-pointer for the Dragons to make the score 5-1. 

After Vanessa Alatis hit a 3-pointer for seventh-seeded Madonna to make it 7-6 in favor of the Dragons with 21 seconds left in the first, the sophomore hit another shot from long range, this time right before the horn to give the Dragons some breathing room. 

“When I came off the bench, I was really scared,” Cain-Loy said. “But, I shot the ball, and it happened to go in.”

It was more of the same in the second quarter. As the shooting continued to be cold, the Blue Dons remained in striking distance. However, Reagan Gray got in on the action for buzzer beaters. 

With the score at 16-12, Gray grabbed an offensive rebound in the winding seconds and saw her shot go in as the horn sounded. 

The Dragons went right to business with their defense as they allowed two field goals in the third quarter. 

While Anna Backel hit a free throw to start the fourth quarter scoring cut the Blue Don’s deficit to nine, Cameron went right down the floor and responded. Ashylnn VanTassell grabbed an offensive board and put the ball back in the hoop. The Dragons were able to keep a double-digit lead for the rest of the game. 

“Our season was about creating memories… They created a lot,” an emotional Madonna coach Cory Wingett said. “I’m not upset that we lost. I have a daughter on the team, but I have 16 daughters that I spent every day for the last six months with. That’s the toughest thing.”

The Blue Dons shot 8 of 41 from the field. Alatis led the way with eight points, while Jazzy Melnyk scored seven points and grabbed six boards. 

“We just couldn’t get shots to fall,” Wingett said. “Defensively, we were rock stars. They averaged 55 points a game on us. They had three players that averaged 45 of those 55. Mission accomplished, defensively. We battled and did a wonderful job. It’s just in basketball we have to shoot some shots and get them to fall. It just didn’t happen (Tuesday), and that’s basketball.” 

For the Dragons, VanTassell tallied a double-double with 14 points and 14 rebounds while Lili Neely supplied nine points and seven rebounds. 

Cain-Loy finished with eight points and both Kenzie Clutter and Gray had nine boards.

Cameron 42, Madonna 24

Madonna 6 6 5 7 — 24

Cameron 10 8 9 15 — 42

MADONNA (9-9): Backel 1 1-2 4; Menyk 2 2-6 7; Alatis 3 1-1 8; Moore 1 0-0 2; Martinez 1 0-0 2; Bain 0 0-0 0; Battista 0 0-0 0; McCoy 0 0-0 0; Wingett 0 0-0 0; Sole 0 1-3 1; Lenhart 0 0-0 0; Yacos 0 1-2 1. TOTALS: 8, 6-14: 24.

CAMERON: Whipkey 0 0-0 0; Clutter 0 4-6 4; Gray 2 0-0 4; Neely 3 1-3 7; VanTassell 4 6-8 14; Neehouse 0 0-0 0; E. Dobbs 0 0-0 0; Carter 1 0-0 3; A. Dobbs 0 0-0 0; Cain-Loy 3 0-2 8. TOTALS: 13, 11-19: 42.

3-POINT GOALS: Madonna 2 (Melnyk, Alatis); Cameron 5 (Neely 2, Carter, Cain-Loy 2). 

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