CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – Eleven Lady Cougars etched their name in the scoring column Thursday at Procter Court, as Clarksville Academy girls basketball cruised to a 63-38 win over district foe Donelson Christian Academy.
In her last outing, Lady Cougar senior Diamond Bryant went over 1,000-career points. The talented guard followed up that act by scoring a team-high 11 points against the Lady Wildcats.
Clarksville Academy girls basketball coach Charles Clark believes Bryant has done a great job of handling the pressure that comes with shouldering more of the load as an upperclassman.
“Overall, I think she has,” Clark said. “Other than the four seniors that everyone knows, we’re still a very young team. Every day, I think she’s helping to grow up some of the other players and accepting her role as a scorer. She does so many other things that maybe the common fan wouldn’t notice. She does a lot.”
Depth on CA team
Both CA’s other starters and supporting cast played major roles in the victory. Nicole Currie poured in nine points followed by Atyia Moss and Jayden Adolphin with eight points each and Makayla Artist who chipped in three points.
Off of the bench, McKenna Phillips scored six points while Shinae Johnson and Cetera Warren had four points a piece. Savanna Prather, Mallory Lehman and Shay Conn all combined for eight points.
When his group receives numerous contributions from a bevvy of different sources, Clark knows his team is a difficult one to beat.
“It’s always good to have that balance,” Clark said. “I think the deeper the team is, the better. You always want to be able to have some girls that you can put into spots who have that experience where it gives you confidence to play them.”
New coach
According to Clark, his new gig as Lady Cougar head coach has gone according to plan for the most part since coming over from Kenwood in the offseason.
“No curveballs so far,” Clark answered. “It’s just been a little different. I started in June and we did some workouts, but really with the guidelines and protocols in place, we haven’t gotten the chance to do some of the things that we normally would’ve done throughout the year as far as team bonding goes. It’s just taking us a little while longer to build trust and those types of things.”
The Lady Cougars have played a tough non-district schedule to this point in the season including games against teams such as Brentwood Academy, Northwest and Jo Byrns.
“We’ve taken some hits early on, but I think that’s helped refocus the players and the coaches,” Clark said. “More than just the competition, it’s probably helped us grow into roles. We’ve been able to better evaluate and assess in that process.”
Jaylee Lopez led the Lady Wildcats with 12 points while Bailey Shepard added nine points.
What’s next
Clarksville Academy will have a quick turnaround when they head to face Goodpasture Friday, Jan. 8 at 6 p.m.
“It’s a chance to play for sole possession of first place early on,” Clark said of the matchup. “It’s going to be a tough game. I think our girls are ready for the opportunity to go and play them. They’re young, athletic and shoot the ball well. It’s going to be a tall task for us.”