Eagles get things half right in victory
By DAN KAUFFMAN / Staff Writer
BERKELEY SPRINGS, W.Va. - With 3 minutes and 40 seconds left Tuesday and Hedgesville holding a 10-point lead, Berkeley Springs girls basketball coach Dale McCumbee was calm and composed while Eagles coach Mary Smith verbally tore into her team, at one point throwing her clipboard down to the floor.
It was an unusual sight to behold during Hedgesville's 43-35 victory, but not an unusual reaction after Smith watched her team's 29-8 halftime lead dwindle away thanks to uninspired play from Hedgesville on the defensive end.
"Our intensity dropped dramatically on the defensive end, and for whatever reason, we were letting them back into the game," Smith said. "I just tried to fire them up however I could.
"A win is a win, and you always feel good about a win."
The Eagles (5-2, 2-0 Apple Valley League) needed no encouragement early, as Megan Bloomer hit two 3-pointers and scored nine of her 13 points in the first quarter as Hedgesville built an 18-5 lead. The Eagles dominated on the glass, outrebounding the Indians 17-3 in the quarter and 47-21 in the game.