Lady Jackets fall to Ashland in a tooth-and-nail brawl

By Danielle Cherry

On the dreary night of February 8, the Cedarville women’s basketball team pulled all their effort together to face Ashland in a tooth-and-nail fight, where the Eagles came out on top 75-51. 

 After the thrilling win against Findlay a week ago, the women began with excitement and confidence. A technical issue at the beginning of the game seemed like it wouldn’t be anything more than a setback, yet the game that followed proved it messed with the Jackets’ mental game. 

“With the young team, you just have to work on consistency over and over and over again, and I think that, when you’re going against five seniors, it’s just a matter of teaching them to be consistent in emotions and play,” Coach Addy Miller said.

From the get-go, the ball was slipping through the Jackets’ fingers. On offense, Ashland pushed and prodded into Cedarville’s space. With the shot clock was slipping away, Chloe Downing scored the Jacket’s first point, a jaw-dropping three with a second remaining.  

Despite some rocky offense, the Jackets were a steel wall when it came to defense. Regan Hubert lept, stealing the ball midair, while Emma Neff executed a ground attack, ripping the ball from her opponent’s hands.

“Energy and effort should always stay there, and I feel like we did tonight,” Miller said.

The Eagles flew down the court, and even with the Jackets trailing behind, Ella Sellers and Hubert cornered their opponent on the sideline. Desperate without passing options, the trap forced a turnover. Cheers from the bench and the surrounding crowd erupt at the beautifully executed teamwork. 

The Jackets had to soar passes above their opponents, desperately trying to break their defense. Each pass hits its mark despite its high arc. 

“They kind of went on a run, being a ten-point game at halftime. We didn’t come out great in the third quarter, but then we got it back to 10,” Miller said.

KaCee Kyle took a different approach. Finessing her way straight at the basket, she dodged defenders, tucking the ball safely away in her arms before she took the layup. She shifted her whole body, protecting the ball from anyone coming at her.

Hubert paced the game, steadily weaving between defenders and calling plays. Without fail, she began each quarter with a layup, setting her team up to bounce back off her scoring.

Though the end was grim, Kyle fought with all her might. She didn’t let her role on the wing keep her from scoring through post moves, ending the game with a team-high 15 points. 

On February 13, the Jackets will face Lake Erie in Callan Athletic Center. With more attention to detail, the ladies will attempt to defend their home court. 

“I feel like we fought. I don’t feel like we quit,” Miller said. “We battled, and they kept trying to continue to do the game plan and learn and play hard and rebound and they did a good job with that.”

Danielle Cherry is a freshman Communications major and writer for Cedars A&E and Sports. She is a Missionary Kid from Germany and loves a good cup of coffee.  

Photo by Logan Howard