Gallery by Heather Belcher
New Richmond – Clashes between top-ranked teams often fail to match the hype.
That was not the case Wednesday night inside the War Zone.
For 32 minutes Class AA No. 1 Wyoming East and No. 3 Summers County stood toe-to-toe before the home-standing Warriors pulled away late for a 49-41 win.
The Warriors entered the contest once again staring adversity square in the face after senior all-stater Abby Russell injured her knee in practice Tuesday and did not play.
“I knew (Summers County head coach) Chad (Meador) would have them ready. They came out hot and motivated. They played hard. We were a little flat and fighting some emotion. After losing Abby midway through practice yesterday we had to make some adjustments. Gabby (Cameron) and Abi (Baker) came in and played well. We have an adjustment period to go through, but we fought at the end.”
If Cameron and Baker, a sophomore and freshman, respectively, were supposed to shy away from the big moment, they never got the message.
Cameron, who was making her first varsity start, finished with a double-double, scoring 11 points and grabbing 10 rebounds, while Baker scored six points, creating havoc defensively.
“I knew it was my job to get in there and rebound and do what I could for the team,” Cameron said. “I knew I was going to play more since we had Abby injured. I just thought all day about the things I needed to do and to not be very nervous. I was nervous at tip-off, but that was about it.”
While the youngsters were solid all night, their play down the stretch proved to be the difference in the Wyoming East win.
With East leading 39-38, a pair of offensive rebounds by Cameron and six big points helped turn a one-point game into a seven point lead with 27 seconds to play.
“You can’t take any possession off. Wyoming East is very well coached and they have a lot of great players,” Meador said. “They are overcoming some adversity, but they had some key possessions down the stretch and that is what the No. 1 team in the state does. They are No. 1 for a reason.”
After Cameron made it a 41-38 lead, the speedy Baker scored on a run-out for a five-point lead. A basket from Gracie Harvey cut the lead back to three, but was answered by two consecutive scores from Cameron.
Boninsegna was a bit torn on which youngster to start, but felt sure both would play a big role Wednesday.
“We knew (Summers) had a big and we knew Gabby could match up. Abi is one of our defensive stoppers, but Gabby matched up a little better,” Boninsegna said. “Gabby had been playing well and we felt like she deserved a start. It was a confidence builder for Gabby.”
Summers led 11-8 before East closed the opening quarter on a 10-2 run keyed by six-points from Blackburn and two each from Cameron and Baker.
The threesome was feasting off work by Maddie Clark who ended the night with six points, six assists, six rebounds and three steals.
Summers County battled back to tie the game at 28-apiece midway through the third quarter, but eight straight points from Blackburn gave the home team a 36-30 lead with eight minutes to play.
Blackburn led all scorers with 21 points to go along with five rebounds, five assists and five steals.
“The third quarter has been our nemesis throughout the season. It was when we played Wyoming East at home a few weeks ago,” Meador said. “We are just trying to put a whole game together. I thought tonight, outside of a few possessions late in the game, we actually put a whole game together.”
Avery Lilly electrified Bobcat nation with a deuce and a 3-pointer to open the final quarter before Sullivan Pivont gave Summers a brief lead with a a triple of her own at 38-36.
Lilly finished with 13 to lead the visitors and Pivont scored 12.
“Avery brings so much to the table defensively. She knocked down some big-time shots for us tonight as well,” Meador said. “The shots that she made kept Wyoming East from going on that big run. That is what you have to do. She doesn’t back down from any challenge and she is getting that confidence from behind the arc now.”
Although the Bobcats could not hold on down the stretch, Meador was happy with the strides his team made Wednesday.
“We came here three years ago and got beat by 40. Last year we lost at home by 37 or 39. We came here last year in the sectional final and closed it to 13,” Meador said. “We got beat by 20-some at home a couple weeks ago. This is the first time in three years that we felt like we were going to win the basketball game. To me that is closing the gap. I have all the confidence in the world in this group.”
Both teams are back in action Saturday. Wyoming East will host No. 10 Charleston Catholic, while Summers heads to Miner Mountain for a clash with AA No. 2 Mingo Central.
SC: 13 8 9 11 – 41
WE: 18 5 13 13 – 47
Summers County
Liv Meador 3, Avery Lilly 11, Gracie Harvey 6, Abby Persinger 7, Sullivan Pivont 12, Cheyanne Smith 2. 17 3-9 41.
Wyoming East
Colleen Lookabill 6, Maddie Clark 6, Kayley Bane 2, Cadee Blackburn 21, Gabby Cameron 11, Abi Baker 6. Totals: 18 11-17 47.
3-pointers – SC: 4 (Lilly 3, Pivont), WE: 2 (Lookabill, Blackburn)
