Skipjack women win opener, lose Clyde
CUMBERLAND – Denver Clyde and Rose Smith were supposed to be the centerpieces in Chesapeake College’s state and region title defenses – players who starred on last season’s 28-4 women’s basketball team that finished seventh in the nation.
Then Smith chipped an ankle bone in the preseason, sidelining her for at least 4-6 weeks. Clyde joined her on the injured list during Thursday’s season-opener at Allegany College of Maryland, taking a hard fall on her left arm in the game’s opening minutes and spending the rest of the contest on the sideline with ice on the injury.
Clyde was expected to have the injury x-rayed late Thursday night after the Skipjacks returned home.
Clyde’s injury was the only negative for the Skipjacks in their opener. Chesapeake scored the game’s first 12 points, led by 21 after just nine minutes, and rolled past Allegany, 81-44, in a lopsided rematch of last season’s state tournament finals.
“I knew we’d be O.K., but I still worry about Denver,” said Chesapeake head coach Damon Nichols, who said his squad will soldier on no matter what the news on Clyde’s injury. “If she can’t play, everyone will have to step up their game.”
Despite the easy win, Nichols still found areas for improvement.
“I wasn’t satisfied with our defense,” said Nichols. “Even though they only had 44 points, half of those points came at the free throw line. We can’t have that many people in foul trouble. We have too many players out.”
Nichols said he was pleased with how “everybody played together and shared the ball.”
Freshman guard Dejhonae Cannady registered game highs in points (26) and steals (nine) while pulling down seven rebounds for Chesapeake. Her freshman backcourt mate, Tyonna Teamer, added 21 points, eight rebounds, four assists, and three steals.
Brittany Taylor, who transferred from Allegany after playing for the Trojans in last year’s state title game against Chesapeake, added 10 points.
Madison Nightengale, Allegany’s sophomore standout, scored a team-high 18 points and was the only player in double digits for the Trojans.
The Skipjacks scored each of the game’s first five baskets in transition while opening up their 12-0 lead. Sydney Small (nine points) scored the game’s first two hoops and assisted on the third while Cannady hit a layup and two free throws to complete Chesapeake’s game-opening run.
Nightengale’s three-point play 3:37 into the game got the Trojans on the board, but the Skipjacks answered with an 11-2 run.
Taylor entered the game and immediately made her presence felt against her former team, hitting a 3-pointer and assisting on a Cannady layup as Chesapeake stretched its lead to 17-3.
“I just looked at it as if it was just another opponent,” said Taylor, who had eight rebounds, seven assists and two steals. “I just had to play hard like I would against anyone else.”
Teamer, who led all first-half scorers with 15 points, finished the spurt with five quick points. Teamer drained a 3-pointer and then stole the ensuing inbounds pass to set up her own layup.
Chesapeake stretched its lead to 28-7 on Teamer’s three-point play exactly nine minutes into the game. The teams traded baskets for the rest of the half, which ended with the Skipjacks holding a 45-22 lead.
Cannady had 13 points in the first half to join Teamer in double digits for Chesapeake at the break while Nightengale scored over half of Allegany’s first-half points with 12 points.
Allegany scored the first five points of the second half, but that was as close as the Trojans would get.
Notes: Chesapeake’s Katara Pressley pulled down a team-high 10 rebounds while Cierra Tourville had eight points and nine rebounds for the Skipjacks.