They say that all good things come to an end, and in the case of the CCMS Lady Mustangs this was the case on Saturday night. After a magnificent run of 73 wins without a loss, the Lady Mustangs were in a war against the Lady Knights of Braxton Middle for the 2014 CWVAC Championship. The game had all the spirit of a national championship. With the Clay County fans on one side and the rest of the league on the other, the sound was deafening as the players were introduced. The Lady Mustangs defeated the Lady Knights in regular season play, but this was a different game. The Lady Mustangs couldn’t seem to find the net in the first period scoring only one point. Neither team was setting the net on fire as the game progressed, and at the end of the first period it was 5-1 Braxton.
The Lady Mustangs had plenty of opportunities to score but just couldn’t seem to get the buckets to go their way. Fouls were a big difference as most of the Lady Knights’ points came from the charity line. The problem was that the Lady Mustangs were called for numerous fouls, a total of 27, against the Lady Knights, many of which could be questioned. The Lady Knights were called for 12, leaving the balance off kilter. Four of the Lady Mustangs starters fouled out as whistles seemed to blow from all directions. All season long the Lady Mustangs, even in the most physical games, never had that many fouls, much less foul out. From that, one can make their own assumptions of the game. It seemed for a while that if the Clay girls so much as brushed the opponent with a fingernail it was a foul. This factor took the Lady Mustangs out of their defensive game.
The final score was 23-27; a heartbreaking end for the Lady Mustangs. However, they did an excellent job and had an outstanding season of 14-0 in regular season play. The winning streak may have ended Saturday night at 73 games, but we must remember they are still undefeated in regular season play. Coach Aaron Williams and Assistant Coach Carrie Asbury have done an excellent job with the girls and have a lot to be proud of. The Lady Mustangs will be back strong again next year for sure. Congratulations to the Lady Mustangs on an outstanding year!
