Cavaliers' girls flattened by Magna Vista

CHATHAM — Four weeks ago, the Chatham High girls basketball team went on the road and lost by 40 points at Magna Vista.

Wednesday night’s rematch was considerably closer, but the Warriors made enough plays down the stretch to put the finishing touches on a 44-35 victory over the Cavaliers in a non-district game.

“We had opportunities we didn’t take advantage of,” said Chatham coach Mike Richardson. “We turned the ball over at some critical times, although they were very athletic. They beat us by 40 up there, so we feel like we accomplished something by being competitive. And we’ve had a problem with turnovers all year. We’ve got a young team, an inexperienced team that just hasn’t gotten over that hump.”

Magna Vista (4-8 overall) scored nearly half of its points at the free throw line, converting 20 of 27 attempts while the Cavs (3-8) went 8-for-13. The Warriors also finished with a 37-31 rebounding advantage and produced 12 steals, including seven by guard Cynara Saunders.

“We hit our free throws, that was the main thing,” said Magna Vista coach Jackie Dalton. “We hit our free throws and we’ve been struggling from the line all year.”

Chatham was trying to avenge a 70-30 loss on Dec. 17 in Ridgeway, and the Cavs got off to a good start on Wednesday. After trailing 6-2 early, they went on a 10-0 run to open a six-point advantage early in the second quarter.

But the Warriors began chipping away and went into the locker room trailing by one (21-20). Magna Vista then scored in the opening seconds of the third quarter to regain the lead, then maintained it the rest of the night.

“I think that the ball pressure was a little bit better,” Dalton said. “We were able to pick up some steals and make some easy shots coming out.”

Saunders led the Warriors with 16 points, while India Dillard and Jacole Hairston contributed eight apiece.

Marissa Thompson paced Chatham with 11 points. Erin Eaton and Iesha Perry both added eight; Perry also grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds.

“I think we did do a good job against them,” Richardson said, “and our pressure against them, I think, was pretty effective. But toward the end there, they got a few breakaways and that was just the difference in the game.”

Chatham resumes its Dogwood District schedule on Friday at Appomattox.