Chuckey-Doak and Happy Valley battled back and forth in a girls’ contest where neither team could fully seize control. The game featured three ties and six lead changes, the final one coming with just one-tenth of a second remaining as the Lady Knights secured a dramatic 41-40 Senior Night victory.
Coach Tanner Earley described the contest as a roller coaster.
“We go up 17-10 and then we’re down at halftime. We fall behind again in the third but take a 36-31 lead in the fourth. Then we’re back down before getting a steal that rolls like a putt, drawing a foul, and sealing the win,” Earley said.
Chuckey-Doak jumped out to a 4-0 lead behind a basket from Kari Holifield and two free throws from Jayden Myers. Happy Valley responded with buckets from Amilia Riddick and Kymber Pruitt to take a 5-4 advantage.
The Lady Knights regained the lead at 6-5 on a Myers basket at the 4:04 mark and extended it to 13-10 by the end of the first quarter.
Myers opened the second period with another basket, and Chloe Kirkpatrick drained a three-pointer to stretch the lead to 18-12. However, those would be Chuckey-Doak’s final points of the half. Pruitt sparked a Lady Warrior surge, scoring four of her 10 first-half points in the closing minutes to give Happy Valley a 21-18 lead at the break.
Happy Valley built its advantage to 29-21 with 2:36 remaining in the third quarter. Myers answered with three free throws, and Kirkpatrick buried a three-pointer with 11 seconds left to pull the Lady Knights within 29-26 heading into the final period.
Jessie Deyton opened the fourth quarter with a backdoor layup to trim the deficit to 29-28. Pruitt countered with her 12th and final point of the night at the 6:46 mark, pushing the score to 31-28.
Myers, who led Chuckey-Doak with 13 points, knocked down a three-pointer to tie the game at 31-31 with 6:29 remaining. Over the next two minutes, the Lady Knights used defensive pressure to force turnovers that led to transition baskets and free-throw opportunities, building a 36-31 lead.
Happy Valley responded behind Riddick, who scored seven of her game-high 15 points during a key stretch to put the Lady Warriors back in front 38-37 with 3:22 to play. A basket by Moore at the two-minute mark extended the lead to 40-37 and appeared to give the visitors the momentum.
A timeout allowed Chuckey-Doak to regroup, and the momentum quickly shifted. Holifield made one of two free throws with 52 seconds remaining, and Carlene Bishop scored with 33 seconds left to tie the game at 40-40.
Happy Valley called timeout with 15 seconds to set up a potential game-winning play, but Kirkpatrick came up with a steal that found its way to senior Cristen Bishop with just one-tenth of a second on the clock.
After another timeout, Earley offered simple encouragement.
“I told her it was just her and the goal, and then we get to go home. That’s how we end practice every day,” he said.
Bishop calmly sank the first free throw, giving the Lady Knights the 41-40 win and securing the No. 5 seed in the district tournament.
“That was big for Cristen,” Earley added. “That’s something she’ll never forget.”
Chuckey-Doak travels to Washburn on Thursday before returning home Friday to close out conference play with an inter-county matchup against South Greene.
Chuckey Doak (41) – Jayden Myers (13), Carlene Bishop (8), Chloe Kirkpatrick (6), Kori Holifield (6), Cristen Bishop (3), Jessie Dayton (3), Hayleigh Seidl (2)
Happy Valley (40) – Amilia Riddick (15), Kymber Pruitt (12), Addi Moore (6), Alex Moore (4), Ashlynn Sommers (2)
