The Clarksville Lady Wildcats hosted the Clarksville Academy Lady Cougars on Wednesday night in a battle of city powerhouses with a mutual goal: get better.
They happened to put on a show in the process, with the Lady ‘Cats (4-0) eventually emerging victorious, 48-45.
Unsurprisingly, defense reigned supreme in the tilt between a pair of defensive-minded head coaches, Clarksville’s Brian Rush and Academy’s Charles Clark.
“Notice you had two teams coming into the game with very similar philosophies: we’re going to get after it on the defensive end and the points will take care of itself,” Rush said. “I think that’s why you saw a lower scoring game.”
Fortunately for the Lady Wildcats, they had the best player in the game, and Imari Berry’s game-high 20 points were all necessary in order to squeak out the victory. But there was a moment in the fourth quarter when Clarksville might have thought they’d be without the highlyranked recruit; after hitting a transition layup, she came up limping off the landing and immediately ran off the court to the trainer’s table, checking herself out of the game.
“We just looked at the girls we had and said ‘let’s go,’” Rush said.
The injury ended up being cramping, and Berry managed to check back in with her team down one with 3:40 to go.
Sophomore Malon Smith played a critical role in her absence, and even when Berry was present, the returning guard – who missed the first few games recovering from a leg injury – was huge for CHS.
“Malon is incredibly basketball smart,” Rush said. “Her basketball IQ is just through the roof. She understands the game, sees the game and sees the opportunity when other players don’t always see it. She finds holes, she sees openings and finds gaps in the defense. And she’s confident handing the ball.”
Clarksville Academy’s leading scorer this season, Atyia Moss, was held to just two points. They were instead led by forward Cetera Warren’s 12 points, making her the only Lady Cougar in double figures.
Clark was largely satisfied with his team’s defensive effort – they held Clarksville to their fewest points scored in a game so far this season – but the offense lagged behind.
“This game showed us a lot as far as being locked in,” he said. “I thought we were really good defensively. We knew coming in, (Berry) could take some tough shots, but she makes tough shots. We will live with those. We didn’t foul. Proud of that.
“Truthfully, you look at the stat sheet, we got to the foul line and went 3-for-14. You’re not going to win many games doing that. We missed plenty of layups. Obviously I’m not taking any credit away from them.”
The loss drops Clarksville Academy to 2-3, but considering the teams they’ve played, they’re not worried about wins and losses yet.
The newfound Clarksville High vs. Clarksville Academy rivalry, which started last season after a long hiatus, is expected to continue past this season.
“It’s good for the city,” Clark said. “It’s good for the city, for us to be able to compete. Because there was a time where the school (Clarksville Academy) wasn’t able to compete with them. But it’s just a big stage for women’s basketball. You have a lot of talent on the floor. It’s just a good game. Coach Rush and I talked – we’re going to continue this game on and on.”
Added Rush: “It’s local. I think the kids know each other. They don’t get to see each other often. They see each other in AAU, in that circuit. But because they’re in a private league, their season doesn’t really matter to what we’re doing, our season doesn’t matter to what they’re doing. But early in the season, you’re looking for good matchups and trying to get better.”
BOX SCORE
Clarksville Academy (45): Cetera Warren 12, McKenna Phillips 9, Shinae Johnson 7, Savannah Prather 7, Nevaeh Brooks 6, Atyia Moss 2.
Clarksville (48): Imari Berry 20, Malon Smith 12, Brystal Calhoun 8, Ella Muiznieks 4, Olivia Loos 2, Ally Howard 2.
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