By Allen Hamrick
If you were one of the fortunate ones to have watched the Lady Mustangs and the Lady Knights of Braxton this past Monday night, you would have been subjected to some of the extreme highs and lows that come with a tournament of this intensity. Some may say, “Ahhh, it’s just a middle school tournament,” but it had all the action of a WNBA Final, maybe even a little more. Fans from both sides filled the bleachers, and the noise was deafening. The Lady Mustangs represented Clay Middle to the highest level in this game. The Lady Knights beat the Lady Mustangs twice in the regular season and were there to do it again. But, it would prove to be a hard road and a bloody road. Talk about heart pounding, sit on the edge of your seat game – this was definitely it. The Lady Mustangs held their own early in the game and were up by one at the start of the second half. That was dashed as the shooting wheels fell off the wagon for the Lady Mustangs and gave the Lady Knights a chance to take the lead in the 2nd half. It was one of those defensive battles that will be talked about over bleachers for some time.
There is a lot to say about this game, and then again, not a lot to say. The Lady Mustangs had as hard a time getting a shot through the net as you do putting a smoke ring in your pocket. The Lady Knights had a distinct advantage in height, but the girls fought hard the whole game and have nothing to be ashamed of. The Lady Knights took a lead by the third, and the final score of the game was Lady Mustangs 28, Lady Knights 36. The Lady Mustangs had a whale of a year and have some of the best fans in the world, and they proved that on this night. Autumn Rapp and Vanessa Cleavenger were awarded All Conference, and Marissa Atha received the All Tournament award and won the CWVAC free throw competition. Congratulations to all the Lady Mustangs and their coaches for an outstanding season.