By Jimm Alley
Sports Editor
On Jan. 26 in the Aggie Gym the Cameron Women’s basketball team took down a conference foe in the West Texas A&M Lady Buffs in a 68-64 victory.
The Aggies were able to overcome a slow start to the game, making only 20 percent of their three point attempts for the first half.
Cameron would come out blazing hot in the second half hitting close to 60 percent of their field goals after the break.
The big difference maker in this game was the Aggies ability to outscore West Texas in the paint 32- 26 and create shooting opportunities for themselves.
Head Coach Jeff Mahoney mentioned how that extra effort helped them keep the offensive pressure going.
“47.4 percent for the game, that’s pretty good shooting,” he said. “They got some big kids and we were still able to outscore them in the paint which was huge for us.
Both our teams had 14 coming off the bench so if you look at the stats it was a pretty even game.”
The game would stay evenly matched for the entirety of its 40 minutes as the Aggies squeaked by with the four point victory.
Katie King led the team in scoring contributing 14 points, six assists, and three steals. Mahoney continued about what helped give his team the edge in the second half.
“I think we just continued finding open shooters.”
Mahoney said. “It was kinda everybody, Katie (King) made a couple and really got us going, Karley (Miller) got a couple, Korie (Allensworth) made some good shots. We almost had six kids in double figures, and I think defensively the kids followed the game plan really well.”
Another key factor in the Aggies victory was the stellar offensive efforts of Korie Allensworth (11 points, five rebounds) and Karley Miller (10 points, four steals).
Allensworth and Miller have flourished into a dynamic scoring duo under the guidance of Mahoney in his first year as Head Coach.
Allensworth and Miller both said that change in coaching styles has really helped them level up their game this season. “Coach Moe really makes me feel trusted,”
Allensworth said. “Last year I really didn’t have much trust in my hands at times, but now that I feel more of that trust, I feel like I can go out there and make more of the big plays and be the player we need out there.”
Miller reiterated a lot of the same sentiments when giving her answer.
“I also really got to give the credit to Coach Moe,” Miller said. “He is a really great coach and he has given me a lot of confidence that I can kinda carry with myself throughout the games. On nights like tonight where I don’t shoot the best I know he’s gonna tell me to just keep shooting it, or to try and find a better shot.”
While the progression of both Allensworth and Miller has helped out the Aggies a lot this season, they have not been the only bright spots for this squad.
In her first season in the black and gold transfer guard Alena “Red” Wilson has been a strong force on the offensive side averaging 11 points and seven rebounds a game, against the Lady Buffs, Wilson was able to break double digits for the twelfth time this year with 10 points.
Kailyn Lay, another new face for Cameron, continued her impressive campaign of consistency, while Kiara Lovings enjoyed a hot night shooting the ball making 100 percent of her shots from the field, both players contributed nine points respectively.
The Lady Buffs sat a 15-5 record coming into this game, but now after a strong start, are the victims of three straight losses.
This was a big win for the Aggies who have been a force in home games currently sitting with a 7-3 record at the Aggie Gym.
Overall the Aggies are now 10-11 on the season after falling to Lubbock Christian University.
Mahoney and his squad hope to finish the season strong as they cling on to their last bit of hopes for another shot at the Lone Star Conference Tournament.
