Sharp-shooting Cameron gets win in return to the court at Madonna
Young Blue Dons make gains in second half against Dragons
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WEIRTON -- Seemingly the only thing to slow down a great start to the season for Cameron this season was a three-week hiatus from the court due to the holidays and cancellations.
That hiatus ended Monday night, and the Dragons quickly dispatched any fears their coach had of the high-powered offense being rusty.
Cameron, now 8-1, opened the game by seeing, it seemed, every shot it took in first half drop through the basket en route to a 58-17 win over the host Blue Dons.
"Everything really was going in right from the start, and I was nervous about that before the game," Dragons coach Holly Pettit said.
"We haven't played since December 22, so we had an almost three-week break. I figured we were going to be rusty ... and we came out and shot the ball great.
"I think the girls were just tired of practicing and ready to get on the floor against someone other than their teammates."
The Dragons opened a 22-0 lead after the first quarter and led 40-0 before Madonna got on the board just before halftime.
"There was an eagerness to get back out there," Pettit said.
"The girls were really pumped up before the game. No one wants to practice for three weeks straight without a game.
"I think we're off to a good start, we've played some good teams, we've played three AA teams already. I'm proud of the girls and how they've stepped up. We've got some tough games coming up."
Macey Neely led the Dragons with 14, while Ashlen Vantassell and Emilee Dobbs each netted 12.
The Dragons drained nine triples.
For their part, however, the young Blue Dons (0-7) who could not seem to buy a shot in the opening half, got a couple of early hits from Vanessa Alatis in the third quarter and found some confidence, playing hard to the final whistle despite the insurmountable deficit.
"It was kind of a tail of different personalities every quarter," Madonna coach Cory Wingett said. "The first quarter, we just couldn't score and they started busting from 3s. Cameron is a great shooting team. When they started busting them 3s in the second, I think we got a little mentally beat down.
"What I am proud of is we came out in the third quarter, (Cameron) still had their starters in, and we played them close. We were more creative with our offensive. We challenged them at halftime. That is what we want to do every game - improve as we go.
"We wanted a good sign tonight, and that third quarter was a great sign. I don't care what the final score is, we improved. That third quarter was drastically better."
Alatis nailed a long jumper for two, then drained another shot from beyond the arc, before sinking another deuce on consecutive possessions. She finished the game a team-high 11 points. Julia Wingett, who broke through first for the Dons, finished with four points.
"Cameron is a state tournament contender every year, they do a wonderful job," coach Wingett said. "They are probably one of, if not the best small school basketball programs north of Morgantown. They were in the state finals last year and have three starters back.
"I wanted to see improvement tonight and we did in that third quarter. We're going to talk about the positives of the second half and move forward from here. We look forward to our next opportunity to improve."
UP NEXT
Cameron: Travels to Beallsville on Wednesday.
Madonna: Also makes a trip down to Beallsville for its next game on Thursday.
Cameron 58, Madonna 17
Cameron 22-18-10-8 - 58
Madonna 0-2-8-7 - 17
CAMERON (8-1): Clutter 2 2-2 8; A. Dobbs 1 0-0 2; Neely 6 0-0 14; Cain-Loy 2 0-0 5; A. Vantassell 5 1-2 12; E. Dobbs 5 0-0 12; Carter 1 0-0 3; Neehouse 0 0-0 0; Schrack 0 0-0 0; K. Vantansell 0 0-0 0; Littleton 0 0-0 0; Foster 1 0-0 2; Yeater 0 0-0 0. TOTALS 23, 3-4; 58.
MADONNA (0-7): Alatis 4 2-2 11; Backel 0 1-2 1; Wingett 2 0-0 4; Harbin 0 0-0 0; Pietranton 0 1-2 1; Costa 0 0-0 0; Sole 0 0-0 0; Laughlin 0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 6. 4-6; 17.
3-POINT GOALS: Cameron 9 (Clutter 2, Neely 2, E. Dobbs 2, Cain-Loy, A. Vantassell, Carter); Madonna 1 (Alatis).