Lady Cavaliers eyeing region play
Published 12:10 am Wednesday, December 20, 2017
By Kevin Eckleberry
kevin.eckleberry@lagrangenews.com
It’s all about getting ready for region play.
The Callaway Lady Cavaliers have struggled of late, dropping five straight games since winning their region opener, but the hope is that a challenging early-season schedule will have them fully prepared by the time region play begins in January.
The Lady Cavaliers have had plenty of positive moments and stretches where they do some nice things, but the key is to find a way to play a complete game.
“The objective is to put together four solid quarters,” said Callaway assistant coach Melissa McDonald. “We feel like we’re getting there. We’re close. We’re thinking we’re going to have a nice little run in the region.”
Haley Holliday and Qua Beasley each scored 10 points to lead Callaway.
Jasmine Dukes added nine points, and Chyna Cameron scored eight.
For Newnan, Janyah Stargell led the way with 13 points, and Jekeria Strickland, Maxy Gates and Miranda Hill each scored 10 points.
Newnan surged to a 14-7 lead after the first quarter, and it scored 25 points in the second period to seize a 39-20 lead at the half.
Trailing by 21 in the third quarter, Callaway went on a 6-0 run to get within 15.
After a steal, Dukes scored to cut Newnan’s lead to 49-34 with 2:23 left in the third quarter
By the close of the quarter, though, Newnan had a 51-34 lead, and it continued to pull away in the fourth period.
Newnan, as most of Callaway’s opponents have done, relied heavily on a full-court press to force turnovers.
The Lady Cavaliers have struggled a bit defeating pressure this season, and McDonald said a focus in practice has been making sure all of the players are at ease handling the ball.
“What we’re trying to do is, we’re trying to spread the responsibility,” McDonald said. “We want everybody, one through five, to be able to get it and put it on the floor. We want everyone comfortable handling the ball, so when one person rotates out, someone else rotates in.”
Callaway is off until Dec. 30 when it hosts Hardaway, and Region 5-AA play begins on Jan. 2 at Heard County.
