NOT ‘CHY’ AT ALL

Senior Post Kayla McCloud set up the Copperas Cove Lady Dawgs for success with seven rebounds in the first 10 minutes of action and senior forward Chyanne Chapman took over from there. The senior scored 19 points in the final 21-plus minutes of the game, including 12 points and 10 rebounds in the second half to lead the Lady Dawgs to a 62-50 win over the La Vega Lady Pirates of Waco.

 

“As a shooting team, we definitely like that crutch of - if we miss outside – Chyanne and Kayla will get the rebounds,” said Copperas Cove Lady Dawg head basketball coach Eldridge McAdams. I think sometimes we rely on that too much. We know they have a tendency to get the rebound so we just assume they are going to get it all the time. But, three times out of five, I put my money on Chyanne being around the basketball.”

 

A putback by McCloud kick started a 20-8 Cove run to begin the second period. Chapman added seven points in the paint to help build a 31-16 lead, capped by a traditional three-point play. Senior post Dejhana Butler then added another putback and sophomore guard Jayda Carter drained the third three of the run to give the Lady Dawgs a 36-20 advantage with time winding down in the second period.

 

“We finally had a good first half, said McAdams. “We shot the ball well, which was our struggle in the games we played over the weekend. We were 15 for 20 from the paint in the first half and ending up shooting almost 50 percent.”

 

Sophomore Madison Griffon and junior Mariyah Reynolds also connected on three-pointers during the run to help Cove build a 38-25 halftime lead.

 

“We scored 22 points in that second quarter and it was because we were able to do what we want to,” said McAdams. “We want to attack the basket, kick out and shoot. I think we got some points in the paint getting rebounds and the putbacks so that was fun to watch.

 

“I think the intensity on the defensive end led to that. We did some things on the defensive end that gave us the opportunity to do that and that was definitely good for us.”

 

Chapman kept her roll going in the third period. She scored in the paint and from the free throw line to score four of the Lady Dawgs’ five points to maintain the 13-point lead at 43-30 and closed out the period with consecutive putbacks to maintain a double-digit advantage heading into the final period ahead 50-38.

 

La Vega made a bit of a run the fourth quarter to cut the Cove lead to six, 54-28, after a steal for a layup and 1 for 2 free throws by senior guard Shenekia Green with 4:37 left in the contest.

 

The Lady Dawgs finished on a 8-2 run to secure the win. Free throws by McCloud, freshman Madisen Honea and sophomore Oni Boodoo; a three-pointer from junior guard Yaqar Elmore and bucket by junior forward Erica Powell accounted for the final Cove run.

 

Chapman finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Lady Dawgs. She was 8 of 10 from the field (80 percent) and 3 for 4 from the charity stripe (75 percent). No other Cove player scored in double figures but nine other players got in the scoring column. Reynolds was next with seven points followed by Honea (6), McCloud (6), Powell (5), Griffon (5), Boodoo (4), Butler (4) Elmore (3) and Carter

 

Junior captain Ta’naiya Norwood led all scorers and the Lady Pirates with 22 points followed by the senior captain Green’s 14 points.

 

The Lady Dawgs return to the hardwood with home games against Granbury on Tuesday and Manor on Friday, Dec. 2 to close out the non-district slate. They tip off District 8-6A play against Belton on Friday, Dec. 9.