When the status quo remained intact at the end of the evening, it was Canadian who proved who was on top, in more ways than one.
The No. 1 host Lady Wildcats took control of the game early and stayed on top against No. 10 Dalhart. It wasn’t easy, but Canadian held on for a 49-41 victory which not only gave the Lady Wildcats sole possession of the District 1-3A lead to close the first half of district play but showed why they’re still unbeaten as the top team in the state.
Dalhart also showed why it earned a lofty ranking, as the Lady Wolves didn’t go away after a tough first quarter and Canadian (28-0, 5-0 in district) had to withstand a couple of second half charges.
“We told our kids we didn’t expect it to go like that for four quarters,” said Canadian coach Aaron Marks of his team’s fast start. “I’m proud of the start but you have to give (the Lady Wolves) credit for fighting back. It turned into pretty much what I expected it to. They’re a top 10 team for a reason and they showed it tonight.”
The Lady Wildcats lived up to their top ranking to open the game, as they never trailed in the first half in taking a 30-21 halftime lead. They led 17-5 at the end of the first quarter.
Canadian led by as many as 15 points in the first half before Dalhart (22-5, 4-1) made a late run to get the deficit to within single digits. Kammi Maddox and Emily Gaines kept the Lady Wolves in the game by combining for 16 of Dalhart’s 21 points.
It was a reminder of what could have been for the Lady Wolves with a better start.
“We feel really confident leaving this game and going into the next one just because of what we did after the first quarter,” Dalhart coach Anthony Catherall said. “I felt we played really good for about 22 minutes of the game, but that first 10 minutes was just brutal. We were nervous and jittery, but we get them again at home so I’m excited.”
The Lady Wildcats were more balanced in the first half and the game in general, as six players got into the scoring column. Canadian’s leading scorer in the first half actually came off the bench, as Brooklyn Beedy hit a pair of 3-pointers and had eight points.
In the second half, though, Dalhart was able to stay within single digits most of the way. Maddox kept up her hot hand in the second half, as she finished with a game-high 24 points, but didn’t get nearly enough help.
“We knew they were going to come out strong and ready to get after us, but we have a work ethic trying to get through this year,” Cavalier said. “We were 3-1 against them the last two years. It’s really fun knowing we’re undefeated and realizing what our potential is, but it’s scary because people want to put that number 1 in the loss column.”
Dalhart fought hard to do that in the second half. The Lady Wolves twice got to within four points but never made it a one-possession game.
It was 46-41 in the final two minutes, but the Lady Wolves were unable to score after that. The Lady Wildcats put some distance between themselves and Dalhart by making some late free throws.
Offense wasn’t easy to come by for either team in the last two quarters. They both scored only eight points in the fourth quarter, with Maddox scoring six of those.
Marks wasn’t surprised that it came down to his team’s defense.
“That’s been our calling card,” Marks said. “We’ve been really good defensively pretty much all year. (The Lady Wolves) put you in some tough spots because they’ve got some good post players and some good shooters so it’s kind of pick you poison. They were never able to get over that hump when defensively we made some stops.”
Maddox seemed like the only player on either team who was hard to stop for most of the night, and she made things interesting. When the two teams meet again in Dalhart, it could be a different story if she gets some help.
“She played a great game, and she just carried us most of the night,” Catherall said. “We usually have a couple of more chip in but it was a little tougher tonight. It was a little different pressure than we usually see.”
