by Malcolm Butler
Cedar Creek head coach Katie Hall had scheduled a non-district game against The Dunham School hoping it would provide her Lady Cougars a challenge.
It didn’t.
Hall watched her team smother the Tigers (11-8) en route to a 58-20 victory Wednesday night at The Brickhouse.
Creek’s man-to-man full-court press and halfcourt zone kept Dunham in check for 32 minutes as the Lady Cougars recorded yet another lopsided win. Since the turn of the calendar into 2025, Creek (21-3) has played seven games with only one of them decided by less than 38 points.
“This week I’m trying to get them to focus on us, whether it be a game or in practice,” said Hall. “I don’t want them to get caught up in the score and relax. Every day we get in the gym it’s to get better. I don’t want us to get complacent. (The lack of close games) is definitely a concern.”
On paper all signs point to the showdown with Arcadia on February 11th determining the District 1-1A title although Hall knows her team must continue to play with the same enjoyment and intensity regardless of who the opponent is.
Wednesday night that opponent was Dunham, who entered as the No. 6 rated team in Select School Division III. However, the Tigers had no answers.
Sophomore Alivia Lee had 15 points and junior Avery Ryan added 12 points in a game that saw a running clock for the entirety of the fourth quarter.
However, it was the Lady Cougars defense that stole the show, holding Dunham – a Baton Rouge-based school – to its lowest scoring output of the season (previous low was 31 vs. St. Joseph’s Academy).
Creek led 12-2 after the first quarter, holding Dunham without a point for the first seven and a half minutes of the game. The Lady Cougars extended the lead to 27-6 at the half.
“That was our No. 1 point of emphasis tonight,” said Hall, referring to her team’s defensive gameplan of preventing the Tigers guards from penetrating. “They are really good at getting into the paint and dumping down (to a teammate). I can only think of one or two times where they were able to do that. It was really our point of emphasis going into this game.”
On the offensive end of the floor, junior guard Taylor Martinez controlled the tempo for the Lady Cougars while her backcourt teammates Caroline James, Mary Grace Hawkins, and Mallory Smith also kept the pressure on the Dunham defenders.
Martinez ended the night with nine points and seven assists.
“Taylor is running the team,” said Hall. “When she isn’t in the game, you can tell a difference. We played around at practice one day and switched up roles and it allowed some others to realize how hard it is to be a point guard. They all stepped back and said, ‘Wow, that’s hard.’ Or, “Wow, it’s hard to bang around inside.’
“They are learning to appreciate each other’s roles, and they are shining as a group. I am proud of Mallory Smith for the things she is doing this year. Her defense is getting better, and she is blocking out and rebounding. I can brag on all of them because they are all getting better in their own little ways.”
Hall emptied her bench as no starters saw the floor in the fourth quarter.
The Lady Cougars will travel to Plain Dealing Friday for another District 1-1A contest.
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Cedar Creek Scoring: FG(3)-FT=Total Points
Alivia Lee 7(1)-0=15; Mary Grace Hawkins 3(1)-0=7; Caroline James 0-2=2; Mallory Smith 2(1)-0=5; Taylor Martinez 4(1)-0=9; Zoey Venters 1-0=2; Kennedy Hall 2-0=4; Avery Ryan 6-0=12; Arlyn Boyet 1-0=2. Totals: 26(4)-2=58
Score By Quarters
Dunham (11-8): 2-4-7-7=20
Cedar Creek (21-3): 12-15-21-10=58
