Lady Buffs Toughen Past Cameron Behind Fourth Quarter Push

Nick Alvarado

WT’s Madison Parker (42) shoots past a Cameron defender during the game on Feb. 9 at the First United Bank Center in Canyon.

Nick Alvarado, Reporter

With one player hitting shots, more players did the same.

Five players wrapped up their night with double-digits as the Lady Buffs streteched their winning streak to five game after an 86-69 victory over Cameron.

“I guess its fun to watch a lot of scoring,” West Texas A&M head women’s basketball coach Kristen Mattio said. “It’s not for me when we can’t get a stop.”

Both teams started hot from the field, with Cameron matching WT point for point throughout the first quarter.

“Both teams shot the ball really well in the first half. I thought we settled in and we did better defensively in the second half.” Mattio said.

With the second quarter progressing, it was more of the same to start, until WT found a rhythm.

Senior forward Lilley Vander Zee hit the basket and drew the foul to cut the Cameron lead to 31-30 with 7:13 left in the quarter. The game-tying free throw would fall.

Since that point, the Lady Buffs were starting to peak.

Sasha Watson hit a layup after a steal and Sydney Walton hit a mid-range basket to extend the lead to 35-30.

Cameron found their answer with a pair of Parfitt McNair free throws.

The Lady Buffs contined their scoring with a Madison Parker deuce down low followed by a Alie Decker long-range basket.

“It started with Lexi,” Decker said. “It’s good passing. They were so stuck in our post.”

Cameron attempted to keep within striking distance from WT behind baskets from Savanna James, who scored a game-high 20 points, and Jamie Bonnarens.

Coming out of a timeout with 2:57 left in the half, the Lady Buffs wrapped up their quarter with a 10-5 run. Parker wrapped up the quarter hitting a layup as the foul was given. Her free-throw shot would fall and the Lady Buffs took a 50-43 lead at the halftime break.

Just like the start of the first half, the third quarter showcased a back-and-forth affair between the two teams in the first four minutes. Cameron attempted to take the lead back behind a 5-0 run in the midway stage of the quarter but failed to do so.

With a quiet performance in the first frame, senior forward Maddison Wild kicked off her scoring with a down low deuce twice in the final two minutes of the quarter.

WT would take total control of the game in the fourth quarter, behind a solid showing in defensive rebounding and from free-throws.

Parker went five-for-eight from the line in the quarter, as she finished six-for-nine on the night.

Wild basketed five in the final 10 minutes of the game to finish with 11 for the game.

“It was hard,” Wild said. “I got into foul trouble early and rode the bench. The girls played a great game. Everyone was shooting the ball.”

Watson led the team with 16 points. Decker followed close behind with 15 points along with Parker with 14. Freshman guard Lexy Hightower basketed 12 points.