By Stephen Smoot
Pendleton County earned the coveted bus ride to Charleston last week, a culmination of all of the hopes of coaches, players, parents, and supporters all season. While the game did not end up as desired, what all involved carry with them as they go forward, they can cherish forever.
Avery Townsend helped her team to control the opening tip. The Wildcats did not score on their first possession, but Townsend claimed the first steal of the game and took it coast to coast for a layup and the first score of the game.
Cameron answered quickly with a three pointer, but gave up the lead again when Jameigh Miller completed two free throws.
The two teams almost mirror each other except in one important way. Both have outside players who play defense aggressively and incessantly. Both teams converge on the ball fearlessly, at times making tie ups better resemble rugby scrums. Both teams can score inside and out, on a fast break or a set play.
And both teams have championship winning coaches.
What Cameron had somewhat more of was tournament experience, having dominated the field in recent years. This includes sending the Wildcats home on their last trip to the state capital to play basketball.
Pendleton County played a zone defense for much of the game, which gave the Dragons fits for a time. In the first quarter, Julia Mongold used her senior experience to help to direct defenders in the front.
At the 3:49 mark, Cameron took a 7-4 advantage, but then watched the Wildcats go on a 14 to four run that extended well into the second quarter. The Dragons aggressive man-to-man defense put Wildcat shooters on the free throw line where they converted many in building their lead.
Early in the second quarter, Susan Vincell took an offensive rebound, drew a foul, and hit both shots to give her team an 11-9 advantage. With just under four minutes in the second quarter, Townsend drove in for a layup. Almost a minute later, Miller hit Mongold near the basket for a layup that made the score 17-11.
The first half ended with Pendleton County narrowly ahead 18-14.
Townsend extended that lead 35 seconds into the second half with a short running one hander that pushed the lead to six. Over the next three minutes, the defenses stymied the offenses, Cameron scored a layup to pull within one, but Townsend countered with a three.
The Dragons for most of the game took that weapon out of the Wildcat arsenal. Their quick defenders could stay with each Pendleton player and few outside shots were available.
Townsend worked to carry the team and hold off Cameron in the third. She hit a finger roll late in the quarter and drew a foul. When she completed the old school three point play, the Wildcats led 28-23.
As the game progressed, Vincell played strong down low and managed to keep Cameron off the boards. Jessica Parker brought fearless defense, as did Jenna Smith. Katie Heavner provided needed minutes when Miller got into foul trouble.
Parker also gave her team a lift early in the fourth when she used a fake to shake off a defender, then hit a shot from the foul line to give the Wildcats a 33-28 lead.
From that point, game officials seemed to tighten their calls. This sent Dragon players to the line often in the fourth, where they did not fail to convert. They took the lead at the 4:43 mark and continued to hold off Pendleton County until the end of the game, prevailing 53-44.
That was the conclusion of the game, but not quite the end of the story.
After the game, three tearful players joined Donnie Kopp, head coach, on the podium for postgame interviews.
As the interviews progressed, anyone could tell that the Pendleton County Wildcat squad that just gave all on the floor was more than a team, more than a group of friends even.
From Kopp’s coaching, as well as the example he and assistants, Dan Miller, and Travis Heavner, set and the seniors always working to support and uplift their teammates, this was a tight-knit family that had just battled together on the basketball court.
Avery shared that “the senior season has been incredible. I couldn’t be more proud.” She then said to her teammates there and also in the locker room “you couldn’t have made me more proud.”
She praised her parents as well, sharing that her dad taught her how to maintain her shot even in an arena with vastly different background lines. Avery told that he said, “Only focus on the rim” and she would be fine.
Susan and Jessica both spoke of their deep appreciation for the leadership of Avery, and it was then that those outside of the team dynamic could see that her leadership was the beating heart of the team.
“Last year we were both freshmen,” said Susan, referring also to Jessica, “It was very scary playing against people twice your size. It was really nice to have some upperclassmen who take you in.
She went on and explained that any time she felt down on herself, “Avery always says there’s another shot.” Susan then spoke about how the hard work in practice helped to build the team individually and as a group.”
Jessica also gave a lot of credit to the seniors for being great leaders and mentors, as well as great players. “For me it was the seniors,” she said, “they really helped me.”
She described how Avery “helped her through it and believed in me” and that Jenna “keeps me under control.” Parker said, “Julia is Julia, always making everything fun.”
Jessica then added that “we came together as a team. We knew what we needed to do. We left it all out there.”
Finally, Kopp, more patriarch in some ways than merely a coach, spoke of his continual work in basketball as either a coach or as an official since 1980. He had earlier praised his girls while also citing Cameron’s championship experience as a deciding factor.
Kopp announced at the close of the interview that this would be his final season, that at the age of 67, he is hanging it up. Next season will bring high expectations, but also a new head coach to work toward their fulfillment.
The games have concluded for the 2024-25 season, but the memories, the friendships, and the shared moments of joy will last much, much longer, than the sting of this final defeat.
