Ward Cleaver, the all knowing Father 👨 to Wally & the Beave on the sitcom Leave it to Beaver back in the day always had the ability to handle everything that came his way!
The 2023-2024 Lady 👩 Cavaliers Basketball team was in need of one more opponent to round out its regular season schedule. Motley could have plugged any school 🏫 into the spot but our Coach shines at laying out his Map to success. I am not sure that the Veteran Coach gets the credit he deserves when it comes to being a tactician.
The Covenant School came down to the Hill from the Charlottesville area and brought with them a 🚢 boatload of tradition and ackulades. Why play a game if the opponent cannot help you with the Bigger Plan?
Coach Geno up at UCONN has coached many an All-Americans over his decades with the Lady Huskies but he only had one Stewie. Watching Geno and Stewart for her four years up in Stoors was something that I will never forget. Back to Carroll County and the relationship between Motley and Senior Alyssa Ervin. Ervin is a generational level talent and this season is the fourth and final one under the guidance of Motley.
Motley doesn’t miss a step when it comes to mapping out his teams path (plug in a clever GPS reference here) and this season has to be seen as a Richmond or Bust type of year. Coach understands that a District Championship in a league full of smaller schools cannot be the ultimate goal for this particular group of young Ladies.
During the first half of tonight’s game the visitors went on a 28-6 run after falling behind 7-0. How many times will be able to come into out Gymnasium and outscore us 28-6. Motley calls them “junk defenses” but what we witnessed was a unique version of a Box 📦 and one. There were times when Ervin had the ball and was being chased by four players. The scene brought back visions of a Mother Bird 🐦 being chased around by her little ones…
The premis was simple, if you want to beat us someone other than Ervin will have to do it. The plan worked to perfection for the first 14 minutes of action. CCHS netted 13 points in that stretch, all netted by Ervin.
One night 🌙 after everyone’s favorite bus ride (Alleghany) the Lady 👩 Cavaliers looked confused. Madison Lyons broke through with one of two free throws and later added a second one wrapped around another Ervin basket to cut the deficit from 15 to 11 at the break (17-28).
Motley took them back into the lockeroom and gave each of the seven player rotation something to focus on over the second half.
The first person to show signs of getting the train back on track was Ervin herself. She continued to try and put her teammates in position to gain confidence. Lyons was next up as she began to use her size to her advantage, adding 2 points in the third quarter and seven more down the stretch to join Ervin in double figures with 11 points.
The opening run by the Cavaliers reached 12 over the break to pull within 28-25. Kacie Young spured the run with a block on the defensive end and then made her lone basket to get the Cavs close.
The team was back looking like themselves but they were still facing a disciplined team with a sharp shooter from Deep and a group familiar with playing team basketball.
Corrie Delp found Sarah Alderman under the basket to pull the team within 34-32 right before the end of the third quarter. The equalizer never fell but it wasn’t for lack of trying. The final score landed at 56-49 as the Cavaliers couldn’t overcome the 20-8 second quarter which included a barage of swisher 3-pointers.
Going to use a Taylor Swift line to make a point in regards to Katie Lam. Haters are going to Hate = Shooters got to Shoot. Lam freed herself up for a series of great looks throughout the second half, including one that would have tied the score at 42-42. Lam only connected one time but was able to continue to shoot. If Ervin is the designated scorer then Lam is the designated shooter. One that has to shoot, even when the previous one didn’t fall. Congratulations on Lam understanding her task at hand.
The game will go into the books 📚 as a loss but I see it for what it accomplished. Our Ladies played as disciplined of a team you are going to face for the next couple of months and they didn’t flinch when they trailed by 15 at home.
Motley wasn’t chasing a perfect season nor a nightly 20 + point blow out. The Coach knows his team and he knows how to put them into the best position to succeed!
Motley is just the man 👨 for the job because he’s Ward Clever smart. Ervin reminds me of a younger version of 5’6 Kelsey Plum.
Don’t get hung up in the speed bumps along the way because we are in this for the Long Haul….
But there will be a day next year when Parents will be making a trip up to Hooville for the back half of the two game set.
#GoCavs
A.S.P.N on The Hill 