The Clay County Lady Mustangs basketball season came to an end this week as they were defeated 31-23 on Tuesday night by the Braxton County Lady Eagles, eliminating them from the CWVAC tournament. The teams split during the regular season. This important game was close throughout, as the regular season games had been, with the Lady Mustangs having a five-point lead as late as the last two minutes of the third quarter. However, they were unable to hold on. Despite the disappointing loss, the team had a successful season, finishing with 9 wins and 8 losses. They won some tough matchups, lost a couple games by less than three points, and had beaten two of the Final Four teams during the regular season.
The Final Four was held Saturday at the Braxton County Armory. Before the consolation and championship games that day, the CWVAC put on a Skills Competition. Two players are selected from each team in the conference to compete in a free throw contest and a three-point contest. The Lady Mustangs had an in-house challenge of their own to determine who would represent the team at the Skills Competition. The players who made the most shots at the in-house competition, combined with regular season shooting averages, were the winners. Ariel Dobbins and Zoey Jones won the in-house free throw contest, and Liv Gilliland and Skiley Wilmoth won the in-house three-point challenge. As Wilmoth was unable to attend, alternate Layla Parker shot for the Lady Mustangs. Each of the four made a very respectable showing and represented the team well. Gilliland made it to the finals of the three-point event. Impressively, Zoey Jones won the free throw shooting challenge sinking 12 of 15 foul shots in the first round, and 11 of 15 in the finals.
Finally, plaques were presented for All-Conference and All-Tournament honors. For the Lady Mustangs, Liv Gilliand and Zoey Jones brought home All-Conference awards, and Skiley Wilmoth won the All-Tournament award. The team will gather one final evening this week to celebrate the season. They will travel to Glenville State University to watch the 2022 National Champion Lady Pioneers take on the University of Charleston Golden Eagles. The team will also be treated to a campus tour and an informational discussion about the university. Congratulations to these ladies for a great season.