Lady Yoe basketball tops Rockdale 57-50
The Cameron Lady Yoe defeated the Rockdale Lady Tigers in a very close and exciting game 57-50 on Tuesday.
The Lady Yoe got off to a slow start, with only two points at the four-minute mark. They were not able to get into the flow of their offense early. They quickly made some important adjustments midway through the first quarter and cut into the Lady Tigers lead.
“Rockdale was much improved from the first time we faced them, and I think we just underestimated them,” Coach Ashton Miller said. “We controlled the entire game against them in the first round with only six players and I think we got comfortable and thought we would be able to do the same second round. During that timeout, our coaching staff just settled them down and refocused. We hit a few shots out of that timeout to get our feet back under us and regained our composure.”
Kaly White (3) made a three-point shot to get them started. That score was followed by another three-pointer by Yierra Flemings (15). That would then spark the Lady Yoe on a 10-2 run. Cameron went into the second quarter down 15-12.
The second quarter started just as even. Cameron took their first lead with a three-pointer by White to make it 20-19. Unfortunately, Rockdale took the lead right back and kept it the rest of the half. Another problem for Cameron was that they had some trouble at the free throw line and struggled to capitalize whenever they would draw fouls. Cameron would go into the half down 28-21.
“We made some adjustments to create a better match up on their best post player and really emphasized doing a better job on the boards and not allowing them second and third chance opportunities,” Miller said.
The Lady Yoe came out strong and began the third quarter on a 7-4 start. Cameron then tied it with free throws by White, then a fast break layup by Flemings. Cameron kept up the momentum with a three-point shot by Mia Wimmer (11) and another fastbreak layup by White to end the third quarter with a strong finish. Cameron went into the fourth quarter up 43-35. It was a fast pace and dynamic quarter for Cameron.
The Lady Yoe kept the game going with a three-pointer by Flemings to start the quarter. Throughout the quarter, the Lady Yoe went through a shooting slump, however they stayed in the lead with their team defense. The offensive slump for Cameron would end with a three-point play by Ja’Kerra Holt (10), which she completed by making the free throw. Rockdale started to go on a spurt of their own to cut their deficit down to three, making it a 53-50 nailbiter.
“Our guards did what they do best and caused a few turnovers late and took them in for open layups. We were able to extend the lead and slow down our offense to maintain the lead throughout the rest of the game,” Miller said. And with that strategy, the Lady Yoe would hold in to win 57-50.
“I couldn’t be more proud of our kids for their efforts last night,” Miller said about their resiliency. “We were down big to start the game then we had some different kids step up to cut into that lead. A lot of them were our younger kids stepping up last night. It’s great to see that out of them and makes me excited for the future of our program.”
The top scorers were Yierra Flemings with 23 points, Kaly White with 15, and Ja’Kerra Holt also scored 15.
The Lady Yoe fell to Rogers 27-44 on Tuesday night.
Scoring were: Averee Wadlington with 11, Ja’Kerra Holt with 10, Kaly White with two, Sydni Smith with two, and Yierra Flemings with two.
The ladies move to 4-5 in district and 8-12 on the season.
They travel to Lexington on Friday and host Caldwell next Tuesday. A win in either could possibly clinch a playoff spot for the Lady Yoe.