CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – Despite squandering a 19-point first half lead Friday on the road, Clarksville girls basketball found a way to get the job done and polish off a 41-35 victory over rival Rossview.
The Lady Wildcats trailed 32-26 with five minutes remaining in the game when Clarksville High girls basketball coach Brian Rush called timeout.
“It’s now,” Rush said to his team in the huddle. “We work on defense every day in practice. It really was a matter of we need a stop, a score and a stop. That’s it. It was that simple. All game long we were getting stops, but we spent two quarters trying to figure out how to score. I thought our press made a big difference and we put it on probably at just the right time.”
The Lady Hawks weathered a 20-1 run by Clarksville to start the contest before making a miraculous comeback to take an eventual 27-26 lead at the start of the fourth quarter on a made three-pointer by Aubrey Padgett.
Lady Hawk junior Sydney-james Desroches put the team on her back in the second half, making high-level plays on both ends of the floor.
Coughing up such a sizable lead was less than ideal, but Rush believes the rough stretch can be attributed to Rossview’s poise as a team.
“I think they settled down,” Rush said. “They’re young. Justin (Woods) was able to get his girls to regroup. They played great defense and that made all the difference in the world.”
With 43 seconds remaining in the contest, Lady Wildcat senior Macy Brown gave her team the lead after connecting on a bank shot high off the glass. Rush praised his point guard’s effort after the game.
“I don’t even remember that shot,” Rush said. “I tell you what play I remember though. We were trying to break the press, the ball ended up loose close to my side of the bench and she came flying from the other side of the floor before knocking the ball to Erin (Lackey). To me, that was the thing that was happening in the fourth quarter. We were getting loose balls and our seniors were really leading that.”
Lady Wildcat freshman Imari Berry made some critical shots late in regulation to help propel Clarksville to victory. Rush shared what he thinks makes Berry such a special talent.
“She has a great feel for the game,” Rush said. “She’s played thousands of minutes and hundreds of games. She’s played at all different levels. She understands what shots need to be taken at what time and sees the floor well.”
Berry finished with 14 points while Sydney Weatherford and Lackey chipped in seven points each for the Lady Wildcats.
Desroches led all scorers with 18 points while Chelsea Williams added seven points for the Lady Hawks.
Rossview welcomes in Northeast Tuesday, Dec. 8 at 6 p.m. for their next game.
Clarksville will return to action Tuesday, Dec. 8 at 6 p.m. when they host Springfield.