by Malcolm Butler
Ava Hartwell hadn’t seen the court in over two months.
The Cedar Creek senior suffered an ACL injury at the end of last basketball season — her second in as many years — and just wasn’t mentally confident in the knee. Thus, Hartwell told head coach Katie Hall early in the year she just wanted to still be a part of the team, but wasn’t wanting to play.
“Mentally she had true anxiety about playing, on this court especially,” said Hall. “I think there is a trauma after both of the injuries and it’s been a lot on her.”
Hall listened. That is until last week when she told Hartwell she was going to start on Senior Night.
A very nervous, very anxious Hartwell made the most of it.
Hartwell book-ended the Lady Cougars 64-50 win over St. Frederick with a pair of three-pointers to start the game and two more to end it as Creek swept the district series from the Warriors and set up a showdown with OCS on Saturday.
“I was really nervous,” said Hartwell. “I was really hesitant about even playing, but Coach Katie is really good about encouraging me and trying to get me back out there,” said Hartwell. “I just kept praying to God. I just kept thinking, ‘Okay, I got this.'”
Got it she did.
Hartwell hit back-to-back three-pointers from the corner in the first two minutes of the game, and she felt instant relief.
“I haven’t made one all season,” she laughed.
Hartwell joined fellow seniors Leah Sutherland, Olivia Underwood and Ainsley Riley in the starting lineup Thursday night and the foursome combined for 14 of the Lady Cougars 18-first quarter points as Creek jumped out to an 18-11 lead.
“I am so proud of her,” said Hall. “I knew once she got out there she would be fine. She has had a lot of anxiety about playing. I respected that. I didn’t want to push her.
“But for her to come out with a big ole smile and to make four three’s … and then she kept passing them up. I was like, ‘If you are open, let it fly. Keep shooting it. I was just so proud of her.”
The second quarter saw a different group of Lady Cougars light up the scoreboard as guards Mallory Smith, Mary Grace Hawkins and Caroline James combined to net 17 of the 19 points as Creek led 37-19 at halftime.
St. Frederick wouldn’t go away in the second half behind the strong play of Ashlyn Odom and Hannah Gammage. Odom scored 22 points, including 16 in the second half, while Gammage added nine points as the Warriors trailed 50-35 at the end of three.
Hall emptied her bench for much of the fourth quarter, but reinserted her seniors in the final two minutes for one last regular season hurrah at the Brickhouse. And Hartwell didn’t disappoint, burying a three-pointer with 1:05 to play and another with 10 seconds to play to put a stamp on the win.
“It meant a lot,” said Hartwell about playing with her teammates again and contributing in the win. “I haven’t had a game like that in a while because I have torn both of my ACLs. It felt good.”
Smith added 17 points for the Lady Cougars while James added nine.
Cedar Creek will face OCS Saturday at 2 p.m. at West Monroe in the District 2-1A title game after the two teams split the season series and both finished 5-1 in league action. Hartwell said she may just suit up again.
“Originally, it was just a senior night deal but I think I’m about to go tell Coach Katie that I want to finish the season,” said Hartwell.
That news pleased her head coach.
“Now she remembers how much she loves the game and now she wants to play more,” said Hall.
