by Malcolm Butler
Another district game. Another lopsided victory for Cedar Creek’s girls basketball team.
Avery Ryan scored 16 points and Caroline James added 11 as the Lady Cougars (23-3, 4-0) coasted to a 60-8 win over Haynesville (3-13, 0-4) Tuesday night at The Brickhouse in District 1-1A action.
With the victory, the Lady Cougars are on a collision course with district foe Arcadia (22-3, 4-0) for a game next Tuesday that will determine the district champion.
It didn’t take Cedar Creek long to race out of the gates against the Golden Tornados as Ryan, James and Mallory Smith combined for 16 first quarter points to spearhead a 24-5 advantage after the opening quarter of play.
Haynesville had no answer for Ryan, who scored around the rim all night long, many times in transition.
“She is so fun to watch when she hits full stride and runs from one end to the other,” said Hall about her post player. “I give credit to our guards for looking for her and being patient and looking inside.
“I felt like we had a lot of assists tonight. I loved how we kept looking for the extra pass. Our guards were really good.”
The second quarter was more of the same for Creek with seven different players netting points, led by Ryan, Zoey Venters and Taylor Martinez with four each. Creek led 44-8 at the half as a bucket from the elbow by Arlyn Boyet in the closing seconds before halftime gave the Lady Cougars a 36-point lead, meaning the entire second half was played with a running clock.
In their four district wins, Cedar Creek has won by scores of 53-13, 69-16, 60-37, and 60-8. The lack of a competitive game during league play is something that Hall said her team has remained focused in spite of.
“I think our kids just love the game, and so they are just always going to give great effort,” said Hall. “That is one thing I’m proud of is how they have controlled their attitude and effort. This whole season we have been very consistent with that.”
The final two quarters saw Cedar Creek outscore Haynesville 16-0, including connecting on 6-of-6 free throws.
Smith added seven points while Martinez and Boyett each scored six points.
Creek will travel to face Lincoln Prep (2-14, 1-2) Friday night.
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Cedar Creek Scoring: FG(3)-FT=Total Points
Alivia Lee 2-0=4; Britton Bennett 1-0=2; Caroline James 4(1)-2=11; Mallory Smith 3(1)-0=7; Taylor Martinez 2-2=6; Zoey Venters 2-0=4; Kennedy Hall 1-2=4; Avery Ryan 8-0=16; Arlyn Boyet 2-2=6. Totals: 25(2)-8=60.
Score by Quarters
Haynesville (3-13, 0-4): 5-3-0-0=8.
Cedar Creek (23-3, 4-0): 24-20-10-6=60
