BEARS BEAT CHANEY TO THE PUNCH
By Matt Maher
YOUNGSTOWN, OH – The Golden Bears welcomed the CowGirls to their side of town for another installment of Steel Valley girls basketball where the 2nd best team in Campbell took down the 4th best team by the final score of 44-37. Both teams showed some great skill on the court but it would be the Golden Bears spectacular grit and the great efforts of Alyssa Crankfield and Johniqua Clay that would be the key differences in this game.
Chaney showed they could tango with East in the first where they were able to find 8 points to Campbells 9. The Cowgirls were led by Alyssa Brown who scored all of Chaney’s points in the quarter with two made 2’s and 4-of-4 made free throws. East saw Clay put up 4 all in the paint and Crankfield found 5 points in the paint as well for the Golden Bears including a successful and-1.
Johniqua Clay would keep up her dominance by scoring 5 points in the 2nd quarter all within the arc with two 2’s and a made free throw. Crankfield would add an impressive 3 into the mix as well and make 2-of-2 free throws. Chaney saw Madonna Jones step up with 3 points from beyond the arc and Iysis Harmon would add a bucket to give Chaney another score.
Chaney continued to stay close to east after the break, scoring 13 points to East’s 12, though their close quarters were still hurting Chaney’s chances. Alyssa Brown entered back on to the score sheet with 12 more points including 3 more made free throws, a 3 and three 2’s. Brianna Wright added 6 points to her total and Crankfield found 8 points for herself with three 2’s and another great trip to the line with both shots hitting from the stripe.
The 4th quarter was another close quarter, with East putting up 12-11. Brown would add 7 more points and finish with a team leading 20 points on the night. Jaziya Burley-Anderson added another 3 to the mix and Alexandria Pete would find her first point in the form of a free throw. East saw Clay find 4 more points with a nice layup and hitting 2-of-2 shots from one of her trips to the line. Crankfield continued to impress with 8 more points including three 2’s and another great trip to the line with both shots connecting, she ended 5-for-5 from the line and with 20 points on the night!
Despite the individual boost from Alyssa Brown, Chaney couldn’t find enough consistency in the scoring department to top the Golden Bears. Johniqua Clay and Alyssa Crankfield both deserve standing ovations after their performances on Wednesday night. The Cowgirls (10-5, 2-3) will be back at home when they face Campbell Memorial on January 20th at 2:45PM and East (7-6, 1-3) will travel to Harding on January 22nd at 7:00PM.
