CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – The West Creek Coyotes girls’ basketball team traveled to Kirkwood High School to take on the Cobras, and the game wasn’t decided until the final second of play. With the ball in the hands of Coyote student-athlete Madzi Calloway, she drove to the lane and ended up hitting a game winning layup, which put West Creek up 49-47.
It was a defensive battle throughout the first half as each team struggled to find points. However, the Coyotes eventually found their rhythm. Their defense forced a number of Kirkwood turnovers, which translated to them taking a 22-15 lead before the half.
“I think defensively they did amazing,” said West Creek head coach Mikaela Colemon. “We came out with intensity, didn’t tire ourselves out and got the job done.”
West Creek went on to control the majority of the second half. The Coyotes led by nine after the third and had a comfortable seven-point lead with 50 seconds remaining.
However, the game was far from over. After the Cobras grabbed a couple steals, layups and a clutch three-pointer, the tied the game at 47 points all.
“I’m proud of the girls for their fight,” said Kirkwood head coach Chris Carney. “We’ve been in some games this year and once it gets past a couple possessions, we kind of get out of it. I’m proud of that growth for them to dig in and get back into it.”
In the closing seconds, Kirkwood High was given the chance at the free throw line to put their team ahead, but they missed both attempts from the charity stripe. West Creek proceeded to push the ball up the court, which led to the game winning layup by Calloway.
“It was big to come in here and get a win against a good team,” said Colemon. “Going into tournament play next week, we need to play hard, smart and with the same intensity from start to finish.”
Top scorers
West Creek: Madzi Calloway- 24 points; Lyssandra Rodriguez- 5 points; Annaliyah Deal- 4 points; Nicole Cushionberry- 3 points; Ashley Freeman- 2 points.
Kirkwood High: Davia Collins- 14 points; Channing Jones- 10 points; Kennedy Andrews- 9 points; Patience Young- 4 points; Alana Mays- 4 points; Lorri James- 3 points; Jordin Moore- 4 points.
Kirkwood boys protect home court
The West Creek Coyotes boys’ basketball team also paid a visit to Kirkwood High School for a region matchup. The Cobras used defensive intensity and ball pressure to pull out a 51-40 win.
Early on in this game, neither team could buy a bucket. Both teams played with intense defense, with several blocks coming in the first eight minutes of the game. In the second quarter, however, Kirkwood kept their defensive intensity up, while making some clutch shots. This led to them taking a 32-21 lead at half.
“Defense is what we’re about,” said Kirkwood head coach John Stigall. “The way we defend determines how successful we will be. If we defend well, we’ll go far.”
The second half played out similarly to the first. West creek tightened up on defense, but still couldn’t got shots to fall.
“The effort was there on defense all night,” said West Creek head coach Matthew Hardaway. “On offense, we just couldn’t find good looks and couldn’t get shots to fall.”
Kirkwood maintained their lead all the way through the second half, behind 19 points from Armani Smith, and won 51-40.
“We just have to continue to get better,” said Stigall. “It took us so long to mesh everybody, and I think our best basketball is ahead of us. If we get everybody healthy, we’re pretty good, and we can be even better than that.”
Top scorers
Kirkwood High: Armani Smith- 19 points; Linkoln Schwass- 10 points; Chance Austin- 6 points; Prophet Basde- 5 points; Bryce Garnett- 5 points; Aaron Hines 4 points; Taetum Carney 2 points.
West Creek: Tobias Santiago- 10 points; Amoree Lafortune- 9 points; Kameron Bowers 6 points; Kamden Murray 4 points; Arizina Chukameka 4 points; Damond Galbreath 4 points; Jason Harding 2 points; Kendal George 1 point.
Kirkwood High senior night
During their double-header, Kirkwood High Athletics celebrated their first-ever senior night.
