Friday evening I was able to have a brief discussion with a very sharp Lady in Mrs. Shannon Dalton. We were discussing the differences between writing ✍ as an actual Sports journalist compared to penning a story from the heart ❤. On this one I will have the opportunity to do both. The ultimate goal is for the young Ladies to receive credit / acknowledgment for their efforts 👏 and for something that I write ✍ to get picked up by actual media outlets for maximum viewing it has to read like a sports story versus a Blog post.
So my answer is write what I feel about a contest first and then create an actual game story that will land in the Carroll News and NewsBreak after that. With that one time explanation out of the way let’s get started with Saturday afternoon vs Pulaski County..
The 2023-2024 season is so different in many ways in general but for me its personal this time around. Last year was beyond fun and historical where this season I am watching young Ladies that I have connections to. Not to the level that the parents and grandparents do but a connection nonetheless. Having just spent the past year putting their words on paper in an attempt to capture their story for a book 📖 creates a tie to Katie Lam that wasn’t there before. Having spent the last 3 months trying hard to make their Volleyball 🏐 matches at home 🏡 as enjoyable as possible creates a tie to Madison Lyons, Alyssa Ervin and Sarah Alderman in addition to the Book.
The connection to Corrie Delp began last year at the State Track meet has continued to grow everyday since. The Harris family 👪 is a HUGE part of what we do so Callie Harris is near and dear to us.
Laiken Burnett will go down as the Carroll County High School athlete that I have spent the most time covering by a wide margin, she has already clinched that mark after I write ✍ about her play just under 50 times last year across her three Junior Varsity seasons. I am missing out on being the one saying the words ” Laiken Burnett” into a microphone 🎤 as that’s what I have done the past six months in both Softball and Volleyball 🏐. This young Lady is wise beyond her years and shows it everyday.
Kacie Young, Madison Coleman and Savannah Swecker from a full season of covering their JV play last year and Amie Delp through her connection to her Family 👪.
Bayliegh Allen is part of our Softball family 👪 and a delight to be around and her Mom assisted us in the Press Box whenever we needed.
I believe in this group of Student Athletes and think that if they continue to grow together this season of theirs / ours will turn out to be pretty special. Not fair to compare them to the past two seasons because it is their season. Easy to type out but harder to do because the reality is all future Cavalier squads will live in a pretty big shadow.
Head Coach Marc Motley is knowledgeable beyond what should be expected from a High School Coach and he already knows exactly what his current team needs to succeed down the road. Our paths don’t cross nearly as much as other Coaches but I cherish the brief exchanges when they present themselves as they did before and after the game yesterday afternoon.
Coach saw 👀 the exact same thing I saw and was able to smile about it afterwards. The words weren’t designed to be part of a game story type interview but valuable just the same. So, after all of that, what did take place in yesterdays 57-42 victory over a talented Cougars team ?
The normal routine is for Ervin to come out strong 💪and create a comfortable lead which allows the others to pick their spots. That wasn’t the case yesterday as Ervin was still scoreless at the 5:42 mark of that second quarter. The game was 1/3 over at that point and it was clear that PCHS was playing the if we are going to lose make someone other than Ervin card. It’s a good strategy, much better than the one from the previous contest on the Hill where they sent her to the foul line 19 times.
By the end of the quarter the Cavs had pulled within 8-7 as Alderman hit a 3-pointer at a critical time to go with baskets from Young and Lyons. Lyons played the contest in what I dub to be Volleyball Madison. The Senior plays Volleyball with a carefree mindset that allows her to crush the VB at times. Later in the contest Lyons would add a pair of step back 3-pointers that would have made Steph Curry smile. Ervin had seven points at the break with the score tied at 19-19.
Lam was scoreless at the break but continued to look for her shots. She made a 3-pointer in the third quarter and added seven points in the all important fourth quarter to reach double figures.
With Corrie Delp still recovering from her stitches Young was once again in the starting lineup and held her own with six points and impressive defensive effort inside the paint.
Alderman finished the game with three points but her end to end hustle played a big part in limiting the home team to 42 points.
Rounding out the scoring was Harris as the sophomore guard calmly sank all four of her free throws during the 22-11 fourth quarter.
In the gamer I won’t be able to highlight the individual efforts in the same manner because of length. Neither I nor Coach can help the folks that come to the Gymnasium longing for 30+ point romps over opponents every night.
This fourth victory was a spectacular team effort. Yes, Ervin continued her play from end to end and eventually finished the game with 26 points with 10 scored in the third and nine in the final eight minutes. Nobody needs to convince Ervin she can play at an insane level nor does our Coach with 400+ victories to his credit need confidence. But the balance of the team needs to continue to work hard and trust their games and the confidence will come!
Now its 6am and my actual work responsibilities are complete so a Nap sounds good.
Still to come – Greg Talley and his bushel of photos 📷 from across the afternoon, the actual Girls 👧 Gamer ➕ all of the Boys 👦 Basketball coverage.
A.S.P.N on The Hill 