CABOT — Paige Adams, Raven Loveless and Jalen Sparks each came through with clutch plays in the final minute as the Bryant Lady Hornets freshman team extracted a thrilling 27-24 win over the Cabot North Lady Panthers on Monday, Nov. 24.
With about a minute left to play, Adams scored on an inbounds play to give Bryant the lead for good after a seesaw fourth quarter. With :11 on the clock, Loveless converted two free throws to make it a 3-point lead and, at the other end, Sparks blocked Cabot’s last-second shot at tying the game.
“I was extremely proud of our our defense,” stated Lady Hornets coach Nathan Castaldi. “The girls played well defensively all game long. Cabot ran multiple sets to try and get some easy buckets but we defended them well the entire game.
“We also rebounded well, especially Raven,” he added. “On the offensive side of the ball we struggled with their press at times but once we got past that, we did a good job of executing.”
The Lady Hornets trailed 12-8 after a quarter but it was tied at 13 at the half and at 17 going into the fourth quarter.
“Once again we struggled a little at the beginning, falling behind 10-4 early but the girls responded well and were able to cut into the lead to tie it to halftime,” Castaldi noted. “It was a defensive struggle much of the game with both teams missing some easy opportunities.”
Loveless led Bryant with 13 points. Adams finished with 7 including a huge 3 to give her team a lead in the fourth quarter. Cabot North had battled back to take the lead before Adams scored again off the inbounds play with a minute to go.
Danielle Singleton scored 4 points, Sparks 3 for the Lady Hornets who are 2-3 going into their next outing on Monday, Dec. 1, at Lake Hamilton.
“We got some key minutes out of some girls that came off the bench,” Castaldi mentioned. “Maddie Miller, Baylee Rowton and Raelae Benton all played big minutes for us and provided a spark for us.
“This was a big win for us going into the Thanksgiving break,” he related. “I am very proud of the girls. Anytime you can get a win against a Cabot team, it is a good win.”
