Sonoraville tops Calhoun in first season meeting
Lady Phoenix place third at Border Wars Tournament
MBaron@CalhounTimes.com
Last Wednesday, the Calhoun Lady Jackets and the Sonoraville Lady Phoenix met for the first time in the 2019-20 varsity girls basketball season. The Lady Phoenix cruised to a 19-point victory, 56-37, in the third-place game of the Border Wars Tournament at Northwest Whitfield High School.
“They’re extremely big and physical and we knew that was going to be the case coming in,” Lady Phoenix head coach Stephanie Caudell said on Calhoun. “It was going to be extremely important to rebound well against them because of their size.”
This contest did not count toward regional standings as the setting was a tournament game.
Sonoraville junior Alexa Geary led all scorers with 24 points. Senior Maliyah Parks chipped in 17 and junior Abby Chambers added nine.
“(Alexa) had a bounce back game,” Caudell said. “(She) didn’t play as well (Tuesday versus Cleveland), but that says something about her that she was able to put that behind her and just come out ready to play. When she plays relaxed and free, she’s a good player.”
New to the varsity basketball scene, Calhoun freshman Britiya Curtis led the way for the Lady Jackets with 14 points. Junior Lyndi Rae Davis recorded a double-double with 11 points and 21 rebounds (10 offensive; 11 defensive).
“We came out in the second half with the right mentality,” Lady Jackets head coach Jaime Echols said. “We’ve got a long ways to go, but … I think we had a good week. Some things to build off of and this was a huge test tonight, but we’ve got it on film and we can learn from it.”
Echols said the goal entering the Border Wars Tournament was competing at a high level, regardless of what the scoreboard read.
“That’s what we’re just trying to find (is) some kids that can compete and progress the way we need them to and I think we saw signs of that this week,” Echols said. “I feel a whole lot better about things this week than I did
BASKETBALL,
coming off our scrimmage game.”
Caudell said Sonoraville battled through tough competition to finish third in the tournament, which could pay dividends come Region 6-AAA play.
“We had three pretty physical games and I think we stood up to that pretty well, so that’s good for us going forward,” Lady Phoenix head coach Stephanie Caudell said. “There’s going to be games where we have to score in the half-court, so I think that’s something we have to emphasize.”
Up Next
Both teams entered Thanksgiving break following their meeting at NW Whitfield, but are back on the hardwood Thursday at Sonoraville High School, when the two rivals meet for the first time in region competition. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m., immediately followed by Calhoun/Sonoraville boys at 7:30 p.m. The boys’ contest will also be the Region 6-AAA opener for both squads.
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