The Cumberland County Middle School girls came up just short last week in a basketball battle with powerhouse Avery Trace. CCMS stayed close early before falling in a 37-22 decision.
“It was probably the best game we’ve played all season defensively,” said CCMS Coach Radhika Dishman. “I think that was because we have been working since the beginning of the summer on just defensive rotation and floor spacing, and obviously we practice the fundamentals every day. All those different things we’ve been practicing all summer long, now we’re starting to see them come together.
“It’s always good seeing little pieces here and there. However, I’m thinking of the bigger picture for our high school program. If I’m teaching them the similar things that we do at the high school level, I see them doing that on the floor against other good competitive teams, I know that is just building our program long term.”
The two teams came out battling to open the game. Avery Trace took the early lead and held a 10-3 margin over CCMS at the end of the first period. The Lady Jets kept fighting, but Avery Trace widened its margin to 23-6 at halftime.
“In the first half, I think we definitely started off a little slow at the beginning, and that’s what we’ve done a lot so far this season,” Dishman said. “Then, we continued to make adjustments throughout the first half. I thought we were all there in the second half. All five players were locked in.”
Cumberland County got baskets from Rosie Patterson, Karlie Wagoner, Tatum Swafford, Jaylan Sherrill, Emmi Moss and Landry Myers, but it wasn’t enough to catch up with Avery Trace.
“At this age, at the middle school level, if you throw too much at them early and give them way too many directions at the beginning, it’s a lot to process,” Dishman said. “Rather, let’s focus on and fine-tune some of the smaller details.”
Dishman said once her team shifted its focus from Avery Trace speeding them up and how their shots weren’t falling, and started focusing on defense and hustle plays, the Lady Jets started playing much better.
Wagoner led Cumberland County with six points on the night. Myers, Moss, Layla Clouse and Swafford scored three points each. Sherrill and Patterson scored two points each.
Addy Jones led Avery Trace in scoring with 16 points.
Dishman praised the effort of her players and her coaching staff.
“We have a seven-man coaching staff that comes to every middle school practice and high school practice,” Dishman said. “To have that in our program is going to continue to provide growth, and it’s also going to continue to sustain our continuous growth.
“They’re getting the same instruction. They’re getting the same concepts. So as these players continue to grow and develop, they’re going to be hearing from the same coaches from the time they start until the time they finish in high school.”