Chapmanville used a 30-point second half to pull away from Class AA number six Summers County 55-39 Saturday afternoon at Danny Godby Gymnasium.
The Lady Tigers held the Lady Bobcats without a field goal for the final 11:45 of the second half, held the Lady Bobcats to 10 points under their average and claimed their second victory over a ranked opponent this season.
Chapmanville knocked off then Class AAA number seven Winfield 55-49 on December thirtieth.
“I like this one a little bit better than Winfield because Summers is a potential regional opponent,” Chapmanville coach Kristina Gore said. “It gives the girls a little bit of confidence if we do see them down the road again, it will be in a regional tournament championship game one win away from a state tournament.”
Summers County fell to 8-4 with the loss while Chapmanville snapped a two-game losing streak and improved to 4-6 with a win that Gore hopes will open the eyes of voters in the girls basketball Associated Press poll to be released Monday evening.
“I am hoping that we can get a little more respect of the poll because we haven’t been getting any votes,” Gore said. “That is understandable when you are 4-6, but we probably play more triple-A and quadruple-A teams than any other double-A team in the state.”
Chapmanville trailed by four at halftime and trailed 35-30 after Summers County Gracie Harvey’s basket off a missed shot with 3:45 to play in the third quarter.
The basket would be the last for the Lady Bobcats as they missed their final seventeen shots of the game and shot 3-of-29 in the second half and 15-of-63 for the contest including a 1-of-9 showing from 3-point range.
“Our shooting was pretty dismal,” Summers County coach Chad Meador said. “Most of our offense has been post players most of the season.”
“We knew eventually what was going to happen,” Meador said. “Teams are going to play a lot of zones and put pressure on our perimeter players.”
To make matters worse, the Lady Bobcats were just 8-of-24 from the foul line including a 4-of-13 showing in the fourth quarter.
“We couldn’t knock any down and then we get to line and are only 8-of-24,” Meador said. “You make 15 or 16 foul shots you at least a chance to put yourself defensively in the game, and maybe you can turn them over and get a bucket.”
Chapmanville missed four of its first six shots to start the third quarter but made their final five shots in the remaining 3:45 of the third and connected on 11 of its final 15 shots to outscore Summers County 25-4 in the final 11:45.
“All of that stems from how well we play defensively,” Gore said. “When we play good defense good things happen for us and the girls play with a little more confidence.”
“We did a really good job of finding our matchups,” Gore said. “We really did a good job of getting into the passing lanes, generating some turnovers and getting out in transition.”
Freshman Daizi Farley and sophomore Jaiden Mahon combined to knock down seven 3-points for the Lady Tigers, as Farley was a perfect 4-for-4 and Mahon 3-for-6 from beyond the arc, respectively.
Overall, the Lady Tigers were 7-of-12 from 3-point territory.
“That was big for us and we have some girls that can shoot the ball really well from the outside,” Gore said. “Daizi shoots the ball really well for us, so does Jaiden and Hayley (Fleming) can shoot the ball well for us at times when she is feeling confident.”
Farley led Chapmanville with 21 points on 6-of-7 shooting from the field before fouling out with 4:56 to play in the contest and the Lady Tigers ahead 47-39 after a pair of free throws from Summers County’s Sullivan Pivont.
“Daizi is going to be a really special player for us but mentally she has got to do a better job with frustration fouls,” Gore said. “She picked up her fifth foul with under five minutes and two of her five fouls were 60-to-70 away from the basket.”
Summers County was unable to mount a run and failed to register a point as Chapmanville got four points from Claire Dingess as part of an 8-0 run in the final 4:56.
“I got a little concerned when she (Daizi) had to sit down,” Gore said. “But Claire (Dingess) went back in and did a really nice job for us and helped us close out the game.”
Summers County led 17-13 after one quarter and held 29-18 with 1:05 to play in the first half forcing Gore to call a timeout.
“I was getting ready to call the timeout to tell them that right then and there was the chance to put Chapmanville away,” Meador said. “They had an opportunity to expand the lead, but we just laid down.”
Farley responded with a 3, a layup and a pair of free throws in the final 1:05 to bring Chapmanville to within four, 29-25, at halftime.
“I attribute a lot of that to the girls growing up a little bit, and there have been games this year they would lose their composure when things didn’t go their way,” Gore said. “But they found a way to get a few stops, get a few baskets and we knew we were right back where we needed to be.”
Harvey led Summers County with 10 points. Pivont added nine points, nine rebounds and dished out four assists and Avery Lilly six for the Lady Bobcats.
“Gracie is a great player and she still trying to learn the game, but we need her to be a little bit more aggressive,” Meador said. “We just got to put the ball in the basket, and we have been pretty balanced scoring wise outside of a couple of games where it has been six here, eight here, 10 here or five there.”
Summers County forced 21 Chapmanville turnovers but was unable to turn those turnovers into points.
“If you don’t convert after you turn them over it’s all for nothing,” Meador said. “We failed to do that and that is a tool we use to generate offense.”
Mahon had a double-double finishing with 10 points and 10 rebounds while Fleming added 10 points to give Chapmanville three players in double figures.
“That was really important for us,” Gore said. “The two other times we done that we have won, and we done it against two really good teams,”
Chloe Thompson had four points but blocked five of Chapmanville’s 11 shots. Brooke Christian and Mahon each had two blocks.
“Chloe has a really good knack of finding the ball and has a really good knack of getting her arms up,” Gore said. “She has great length, which is all good for us, but I would say a lot of those blocks came off second chance opportunities when we didn’t get the first board.”
Summers County outrebounded Chapmanville 36-30 but held a 21-7 advantage on the offensive glass.
“We are not doing a good job down low of finishing and we think we are in position but to be honest we a little bit soft, and I hate to say that about my girls, but if anything, I am honest,” Gore said. “We are soft, don’t box out well, and we keep allowing people in the paint a little bit too often. If we can find a way to fix that then this team has a chance of going somewhere this postseason.”
Summers County will host Nicholas County on Tuesday. The Lady Bobcats defeated the Lady Grizzles 70-41 on Dec. 1 at Nicholas County High School.
“They have a really good freshman and I am anxious to see if she has improved any,” Meador said. “They have a couple of shooters on the perimeter, get up and down the floor well and they will present a challenge for us.”
Chapmanville returns to action Tuesday night as they travel to Lincoln County.
“I like our matchup against them and if we play well and play like we did tonight I think we will be right there, but we got to keep our composure and play within the lines,” Gore said. “Lincoln County has good fan support, they have a good student section and it will be another experience for our young girls.”
Chapmanville 55, Summers County 39
Summers County Lady Bobcats (8-4)
Gracie Harvey 5-14 0-4 10, Sullivan Pivont 2-15 5-11 9, Avery Lilly 2-9 2-3 6, Maggie Stoover 2-8 1-2 5,
Abby Persinger 2-7 0-2 4, Ashley Cooper 1-4 0-0 2, Liv Meador 1-4 0-2 2, Jesse Ward 0-2 0-0 0.
Totals: 15-63 8-24 39.
Chapmanville Lady Tigers (4-6)
Daizi Farley 6-7 5-9 21, Jaiden Mahon 3-7 1-2 10, Hayley Fleming 5-11 0-0 10, Chloe Thompson 2-4 2-4 5, Brooke Christian 2-6 0-0 4, Claire Dingess 2-3 0-1 4, Laken Parks 0-1 0-0 0. Totals: 20-39 8-16 55.
Summers County 17 12 6 4- 39
Chapmanville 13 12 17 13- 55
3-point field goals- Summers County 1-9 (Pivont 0-4, Lilly 0-2, Cooper 1-3). Chapmanville 7-12 (Farley 4-4, Mahon 3-6, Fleming 0-1, Parks 0-1). Rebounds- Summers County 36 (Pivont 9), Chapmanville 30 (Mahon 10). Assists- Summers County 8 (Pivont 4), Chapmanville 15 (Fleming 5). Total Fouls- Summers County 15, Chapmanville 17.