CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – With a trip to the Division II-A District 4 championship game on the line Thursday at Procter Court, the No. 1-seeded Clarksville Academy Lady Cougars welcomed in Donelson Christian Academy.
The eventual outcome was hardly in doubt from the opening tip, as CA punched their ticket to the finals and region tournament with a 59-25 win.
In his first year at the helm, Clarksville Academy girls basketball coach Charles Clark has been pleased with how his team has progressed since the beginning of the season.
“The expectations coming in were high,” Clark said. “Obviously you know the success the program has had just over the last few years. Then to some degree, I think losing Sydneey Boykin and Vana Pridgen from last year could’ve led to the mindset around the district being that the team may fall off a bit, but that never was the case.”
When Clark addressed his players for the first time in the offseason, he made it clear what needed to happen in order for the program to continue its successful run.
“The biggest thing is just having our younger girls step up,” Clark said. “We knew that was going to be key, and we’ve had contributions from a number of underclassmen this year.”
Keys to the win
The Lady Cougars seized control of the game early on by building a 17-5 lead after one quarter of play.
“Defensively, I thought we were just everywhere,” Clark said. “We were engaged. We had five keys going into the game that we wanted to make sure we could check off on the board we did. Number one was to rebound the ball. We didn’t want to give them any second chances. It was great just to set the tone.”
Senior guard Diamond Bryant scored 16 points in the third-quarter alone while knocking down three shots from behind the arc in the process.
“She got some looks,” Clark said. “The girls looked for her after she made one and then she made two. It was just one of those things where she was able to get another three and a couple of deflections on defense that led to some more buckets. When she can get going, we want to try and get her some looks because she can fill it up pretty fast.”
Bryant finished with a game-high 24 points while Atyia Moss scored 10 points for the Lady Cougars.
DCA’s Haley Montes had a team-high seven points followed by Sara McGlasson with six points.
What’s next
Clarksville Academy will take on Goodpasture Saturday, Feb. 13 at 6 p.m. at Procter Court in the Division II-A District 4 championship game.
Goodpasture ruined CA’s perfect regular-season district record last Friday, pulling out a 43-40 upset.
According to Clark, the loss may have actually benefited his team at this point in the year.
“I think so,” Clark answered. “It may have been a good wake-up call. Right at the time where we make sure that we don’t get complacent and realize that at any point anyone can get beat. The loss was probably a good reminder and I totally expect this group to bounce back because they’ve been resilient all year.”