Allen Worrell interviewing Head Coach Marc Motley after the victory.
63 – 47 was the final score and I will credit Kevin Burress with the line of the night 🌙 after the game.
” For years we watched the Jordan rules in the National Basketball Association. Tonight we witnessed Alyssa Rules.”
Alyssa Ervin stuffed the stat sheet, finishing with a Triple Double of 31, 12 &13 (steals).
Thank you to Brandi for getting me the actual box score so quickly!
Ervin finished 12 of 19 from the free throw line, hence the reference to how the NBA played Jordan back in the day. Many of the fouls were rather hard and some were borderline flagrant and if they called every foul committed by the visiting Cougars her free throw attempts would have been in the 30’s.
While Ervin played lights out she received plenty of assistance from the rest of the team. I will add to this story once we return to our Woods.
My oldest Daughter graduated 🎓 from Liberty University and later taught there so the idea 💡 of heading over to Lynchburg tonight for the most important ball game in the schools history but in the end the desire to support for the Younger Cavaliers won out.
Almost game time….
Jump
Underway and here for the duration!
Pulaski County breaks a 7-7 tie with a buzzer beating 3-pointer. Cavs trail 10-7 after first quarter.
Kayla Young leads the team with four points.
PCHS TO – 5:24 (2), Cougars 13-9.
CCHS TO – 2:46 (2) – trailing 20-10
Four members of the 1-0 Varsity Boys 👦 team.
6:07 pm – Halftime score is Pulaski County 23, Carroll County 10. Kayla Young leads the scoring with 6 points.
Our Ladies have struggled a bit from the free throw line, going 2 of 8.
TO – Pulaski County 3:16 (3) 28-14
TO – CCHS 1:52 (3) 30-19 after the Lady 👩 Cavaliers first 3-pointer
Cavs win the third quarter (14-10) after Raylee Goins scores 9 unanswered points. 33-24…
TO – 6:07 (4) Cougars 37-26. Cavs pulled within 37-33…
Always easy to spot legendary Howard Mayo in the building.
Our young Ladies played hard from start to finish and tied the second half 23-23 against a taller and equally aggressive opponent. They gave their Coach 28 minutes of effort, falling short 46-33.
Here’s a quick look at our unofficial score sheet from the contest.
Raylee Goins finished with 13 points and Kayla Young added 10. Kenzie McMillan tallied 6, Natalie Burress 3 and Faith Clontz 1 to account for the 33 points.
Coach Motley keeping an eye 👁 on his future Lady 👩 Cavaliers.
Kayla Nester’s latest team is stuffed full of Family Ties. When the group takes the home 🏡 floor tonight they will do so with an 1-0 record after defeating Galax on the road earlier this week.
One doesn’t have to look far for the first family connection as our Coach will be mentoring her younger sister, Raylee Goins. Has to be a very proud moment for Mom 👩 and Dad 👨❤!
Goins is joined on the team by her Lady Swat Softball sisters. Faith Clontz, Kenzie McMillan, Laney Jo Leonard and Natalie Burress all join Goins on the nine player roster!
Kayla Young and Kenzie Young as well as Carlie Dalton and Ashlyn Martin round out the team. Kayla Young dropped 20 points in one of the teams scrimmages and led the offense in Galax as well.
The team will focus on a rather pesky harassing defense that will create instant offense throughout each game.
The opening jump is set for 5:30 tonight and know that somewhere in the stands will be three Lady Swat coaches (Goins, Leonard and Burress) enjoying the roll of being supportive Dad 👨 versus Coach / Dad.
The last time that a community story impressed me to the point that I felt it should be captured in a Book was the Strasburg High School Volleyball 🏐 team. The Rams 🐏 had a Senior Class of seven that amazingly started out in Kindergarten together and built a bond through Volleyball. Their Senior season the team posted a perfect year that was capped off by a Celebration in the VCU Siegal Center.
Everyone in the town basked in the glory of the moment and what it meant but very few gave much thought to the following season. How hard would the team fall once the Class of Seven had went off to College ?
Strasburg had one player in the Junior class that was an exceptional player and person. Jenna Smoot played at a very high level but certainly she couldn’t carry a team back to the Promise Land by herself.
Here is a story within the story for anyone that wants to see just what Jenna accomplished after her days wearing Purple.
Her Senior season ended the exact same place where her Junior season did, at Virginia Commonwealth University. This time the Rams dropped the Championship match and finished State Runner-Up. Volleyball, like Basketball is a team sport with the six players versus five players being the biggest difference.
The group of young Ladies that graduated 🎓 from CCHS last season was an impressive, impressive group. Their story was historical enough that we documented it in a Book.
But I’m not one of the folks here in the County that thinks the Sky is falling on the Girls Basketball program. Just like Jenna Smoot before, Alyssa Ervin is a generational talent. Ervin has an understanding of the game that is unmeasurable and her drive matches said talent.
Long-time Head Coach Marc Motley has already collected 400+ victories on the Hill so there is no doubt about his skill set. His lead Assistant Coach is Brandi Cochran – Mitchell who makes any list of the top players to wear the School colors at Carroll County.
Again, like Smoot before her, Ervin has fellow Cavaliers who have experienced the Top of the Mountain ⛰. Madison Lyons, Sarah Alderman and Katie Lam are all back. They are big parts of the equation and already know how to share the Basketball court with Ervin.
The coaching staff is Top Shelf, the Fan Base is energized and four big parts of the puzzle are back and ready to go.
Corrie Delp is another athlete that by the time she graduates from CCHS will take her place amongst the greatest to play sports on the Hill.
Laiken Burnett is wise beyond her years and will be able to make the adjustment to the Show.
Callie Harris has a point guard mentality and understands the game.
Casey Young will be a key 🔑, especially when Lyons isn’t on the floor. Keeping the opponents post players occupied will free up Ervin to work the floor.
Bailey Allen, Savannah Swecker and Amie Delp will look to gain confidence everytime they take the Court.
Having spent the Volleyball season tracking Glenvar trying hard to make it three straight and Auburn’s drive for five there are a couple of things we should expect. This team will lose games while learning how to play as a team and opposing teams will celebrate any victory of the Two Time defending State Champs 🏆. One can flash back to the joy we displayed when we knocked off the Highlanders in their gym. By the end of the season Glenvar had learned to play as a team with a new cast of players and eventually fell in the match that would have sent them back to the State Tournament.
The Auburn story is off the charts now that they have strung together five straight State Championships and if I lived in Riner instead of Laurel Fork there would be a book that described it. But those Girls knew they would get everyones best every time out.
To bring the story / preview full circle 🔵 I’m not suggesting that anyone books Hotel rooms for Richmond just yet but I would keep the dates open on your calendar.
The Lady 👩 Cavaliers take the floor tonight when they host Pulaski County. The Cougars are now in Class 3 after a long run as a Class 4 power so it should be a great test for the reloaded, not rebuilding Lady Cavaliers.
Apologies for exceding my normal two minutes read but it is a passionate topic.
A.S.P.N on The Hill 