After suffering a hard-fought 50-14 loss to the Sacramento Waldorf Waves due to shots not falling, the Cavs looked for the rim to favor them more in their matchup against the Valley Christian Academy Lions on Jan. 26.
But the girls didn’t get the bounces they needed, as they suffered a 29-18 loss to the Lions.
The Cavs shot only 9 for 62 from the field and 0 for 1 from three.
Freshman Bella Mathisen was top scorer with 8 points.
The Cavs and the Lions were neck-and-neck coming out of the gates. They traded buckets, going back and forth down the court.
Neither team could really edge out the other, and the quarter ended with the Lions barely in the lead, up 9-8.
However, the second quarter was a different story.
The Cavs fell into a shooting drought. Mathisen gave the girls their only 2 points of the entire quarter.
But the Lions didn’t fall like the Cavs. Instead, they picked up the pace and increased their lead by putting up 7 points of their own.
The Cavs ended the second half trailing, 16-10.
Coming out of halftime, the girls seemed to be energized, starting to regain ground on the Lions.
Although the Cavs picked up their tempo, the Lions still outscored them 7-6 and put them up, 23-16.
With a quarter left, the Cavs needed a stellar shooting performance to bring them back into the game.
Unfortunately, the fourth quarter was reminiscent of their second quarter woes. They fell into another drought, only putting up another 2 points.
Head coach Latonia Pitts chose freshman Alice Kellie as player of the game for “defensive pressure, intensity and hard work.” Kellie finished with 4 steals and 2 rebounds.
Pitts said the girls have had to work on the same thing all year: making their shots.
The Cavs’ next game will be Thursday, Jan. 28, at 3:30 p.m. against Victory Christian.
—By Jake Longoria
