By Kyle Parmley
CENTER POINT — Clay-Chalkville punched its ticket to the Class 6A, Area 12 tournament finals with a 70-42 victory over Pinson Valley on Wednesday night in the opening round.
The Lady Cougars (23-7) jumped out to a 9-2 lead, before an injury to T.J. Thomas immediately halted their momentum.
“It kind of rattled our team,” Clay-Chalkville head coach Justin Haynie said. “T.J. is our captain, so it shook everybody up a little bit. But she’s OK.”
Clay-Chalkville sophomore guard Raven Omar
photo by Ron Burkett
After the injury to Thomas, the Lady Indians went on a 9-1 run to take a brief 11-10 edge. Clay-Chalkville scored the final five points in the quarter, and took a 15-11 advantage after one. The Lady Cougars dominated the final three frames.
Continuing a trend from the past few games, every Lady Cougar that played in the game scored, including three girls in double figures. Balanced scoring is a key to Clay-Chalkville’s success.
“When we are top-heavy scoring, we struggle. You can’t have one or two kids doing all the scoring. You have to do it as a team,” Haynie said.
Leading the effort was senior guard Kristian Hudson, whose 12 points were tops on the team. Backcourt mate Raven Omar and Summer Pettway each chipped in with 10 points apiece. Brittney Wood scored seven, and Thomas added six.
Clay-Chalkville clinches a postseason berth with the win, and will face Center Point on Friday at 6 p.m.
Pinson Valley’s season comes to a close following the loss. Senior Alex Lowery racked up a game-high 19 points in her final game in a Lady Indians uniform. Fellow senior Nahtika Belser scored seven points, and Briana Jones and Maralie McKinney also played their final game for the program. Laurel Uhomba and Alexia Hood each contributed six points.
Head coach Kristan Cromer coaches her Pinson Valley basketball team earlier this season.
file photo by Ron Burkett
Head coach Kristan Cromer is happy with how her seniors set an example for the underclassmen.
“We were really young this year,” Cromer said. “Our seniors have done a really good job finishing up and leading the team. They have showed them what a legacy is and leaving a good name for us as Pinson Valley.”
Cromer is looking for the future to bring more success to her program.
“The future is bright,” she said. “We have a whole lot of potential. They work hard, they want it, and they love the game. You can do a lot with players like that.”
