Cedarbrook remains unbeaten
By JOSE NEGRON
jnegron@yourmvi.com
Midway through the first half of her team’s game with Monessen Florist Wednesday, Cedarbrook head coach Mariah Ward stood on the sideline in silence.
The first-year leader watched as her unbeaten team trailed 16-11, experiencing a bit of adversity for the first time this summer.
“I kinda fell back a little bit because I wanted to see what they were going to do collectively as a team,” Ward said. “I wanted to see how they would build chemistry without me chiming in.
“Sometimes players have to know how to save themselves because coaches can’t always come in and save them.”
Cedarbrook’s first-half struggles, which resulted in a 25-21 halftime deficit, didn’t carry over into the second half.
With eventual words of wisdom from Ward and Trinity standout Alyssa Clutter leading the way, Cedarbrook bounced back in the final 16 minutes en route to a 52-45 victory over Monessen Florist in Mon Valley Independent Summer Basketball League girls division play.
Clutter finished with a game-high 31 points, netting 18 in the second half, to go with 11 rebounds as she helped Cedarbrook (4-0) stay atop the standings at Marx’s Court Time Sports Center.
“Alyssa really controlled the floor in the second half,” Ward said. “We took her to the side, too, and said, ‘Listen, you have the green light. Once they see you going, they’re all going to follow suit.’
“She was doing everything possible to help us win that game.”
Monessen Florist (0-4) held a slim 28-26 lead two minutes into the second half before Clutter helped carry Cedarbrook during a 6-0 run. She started the spurt with a three-point play and after a free throw from Mea Johnson, Clutter added another bucket inside to put Cedarbrook ahead at 32-28.
MoFlo tied the game with a pair of foul shots from Bria Ringloff and a bucket by Stellanie Loutsion, but a 7-2 run extended Cedarbrook’s advantage to 39-34. Again, Clutter was the main threat, scoring five points to create further separation.
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