CHARLESTON, W.Va. — In its state tournament debut Tuesday, Cameron got past Madonna on the strength of its defense, holding the Dons to 24 points in a Class A quarterfinal.
The second-seeded Dragons were back at it again Thursday in a semifinal against third-seeded Calhoun County. Cameron limited the Red Devils to seven field goals and less than 20 percent shooting to advance to Saturday’s title game with a 44-28 victory at the Charleston Coliseum.
“We knew they had two phenomenal guards that shoot the ball really well,” Cameron coach Holly Pettit said of the Red Devils. “Our game plan was to force them left and get a hand in their face. I couldn’t have asked for better defense from my guards.”
Calhoun County (14-4) scored six or eight points in every quarter and its only lead was 2-0.
Red Devils’ guard Josie Montgomery picked up four first-half fouls, which didn’t help Calhoun as it tried to solve the Dragons’ relentless defense.
“We faltered a little bit,” Calhoun coach Kevin Boak said. “That was the first time I’d seen the pressure really get to us.”
Freshman guard Kenzie Clutter helped Cameron (18-1) lead 25-14 at the break. Clutter nearly matched the Red Devils with 13 points in the opening half, making 5-of-8 field goal attempts and three three-pointers.
“The game she played today is the game I’ve been waiting for her to play,” Pettit said. “She’s been steady and stable for us, but today she went above and beyond.”
The Red Devils hung tough in the third quarter, holding the Dragons to one field goal — a Lili Neely triple — to close their deficit to 30-22 entering the fourth.
But the Dragons never let the game get any closer, making 5-of-7 shots in the final frame to ultimately double their advantage and win comfortably.
Neely had a team-high 17 points, while freshman Ashlynn Van Tassell overcame foul trouble and fouling out to nearly register a double-double with nine points and a game-high 14 rebounds. Clutter finished with 14 points and seven rebounds.
“(Clutter) might be the most composed girl as a freshman that I’ve seen,” Boak said. “I was so impressed with her. She made a world of difference getting the ball up and down the floor and defensively, always being right there on us. She made it hard for us to get into our offense.”
Cameron controlled the boards, 42-24.
Montgomery had 11 points for Calhoun in defeat.
No. 1 Tug Valley awaits for the Dragons in the state final.
“I knew coming into the season we were going to have a pretty good team,” Neely said, “but seeing it now and being here in live action, it’s crazy. I can’t even explain it.”