Here's how Stuart Cramer girls basketball's fairytale season ended in the NCHSAA 3A final
WINSTON-SALEM — Hadley Womack sprinted to the end of the Stuart Cramer basketball bench, dropped into a seat and swiftly shrouded her face, letting tears soak into her Storm jersey.
Brimming with optimism to start the day, Cramer dreams of an NCHSAA 3A state title were suddenly over.
A fairytale season for the Cramer girls hoops team buckled under the weight of a Western Alamance barrage, the Warriors knocking down 11 3-pointers on their way to a 76-58 win in Friday’s 3A state final at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Winston-Salem.
"It was tough today," said Stuart Cramer girls basketball coach Carey Pohlman. "Just couldn't find the basket. (Oshauna Holland) had a great game, we just needed to help her out a little bit."
Holland finished with a game-high 49 points and seven rebounds. Named her team’s Most Outstanding Player following the game, she was the only Storm performer to score in double figures.
Western Alamance came out firing from 3-point range, hitting nine 3-pointers to take a 41-31 lead into the halftime break.
The Warriors had more players hit 3-pointers (4) in the first half than it had two-point baskets (3). The early barrage was led by seniors Allie Sykes and Tina Bowers each hitting multiple shots from deep. Sykes had 15 points in the first half, while Bowers added 11.
Cramer's deficit may have been more if not for the work of junior standout Oshauna Holland, who had 23 of her team’s 31 points in the first half. Hadley Womack, who scored the game’s first points on a lay-up following the opening tip, went to the locker room with those points after sitting much of the first half in foul trouble. Lauren Humphrey also struggled, scoring three points during the first 16 minutes.
Matters went from bad to worse after the break, Western Alamance starting the second half on a 12-0 run. Much like the opening quarter for the Warriors, the charge was led by Bowers who was responsible for nine of them. Meanwhile, the Storm struggled mightily in the third, scoring only six points during the stanza. Cramer didn’t make a shot in the third period.
"We really talked about at halftime where we felt we gave (Holland) a break and didn't trap her in our press," said Western Alamance girls basketball coach Tooey Loy. "We allowed her to walk (the ball) up the floor and catch her breath. So our plan at halftime was we have to get those traps set, get her moving faster against our pressure. And as good as she was, she turned it over a few times against our pressure.
"That kind of keyed us, but we've played fast all year so it go our tempo going about to what we're used to."
Western Alamance was led by Tina Bowers' 26 points, while Allie Sykes scored 22.
Stuart Cramer’s first field goal of the second half came with just under seven minutes left on a Holland jumper.
Cramer's season ends with a 29-3 record. Despite the loss, Holland said there's still plenty for the Storm to be happy about.
"This is the first time in like 15 years anyone has made it this far from Gaston County," Holland added. "I'm just super, really, really proud of my team even though we didn't make it as far as we wanted to. Next year is more to come; getting on this stage is super amazing for Gaston County."
This article originally appeared on The Gaston Gazette: NCHSAA basketball: Stuart Cramer falls to Western Alamance in 3A
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