Donoho dominates
- Updated: October 14, 2020
Lady Falcons sweep past two opponents to another area championship, Perry named MVP
CLASS 1A AREA 10
at Donoho
Donoho 3, Jacksonville Christian 0 (25-8, 25-10, 25-13)
Ragland 3, Faith Christian 0
Championship: Donoho 3, Ragland 0 (25-7, 25-8, 25-6)
Friday’s subregion matches
Shoals Christian at Donoho
Ragland at Covenant Christian
By Al Muskewitz
East Alabama Sports Today
They handed Donoho coach Jamie Clendenin the championship plaque and the first thing he asked was what did they want him to do with it.
Put it in the trophy case, they told him. So, he walked into the lobby of Spruill Gym, opened the cabinet and placed the plaque in the only space he found available – on top of the one he got for winning the area tournament last year.
Another year, another trophy.
The Lady Falcons won their 35th area tournament title Tuesday when they turned back Ragland 25-7, 25-8, 25-6 in the Class 1A Area 10 final. They swept JCA in the first round 25-8, 25-10, 25-13 to secure a spot in sub-regionals, the first step in defending their 1A state championship.
“I just kind of told them to go out there and play their game,” Clendenin said. “I’m one of those who gets nervous no matter who we’re playing because any day you could have one heck of a bad day. I think it was good for them to play to their potential even when there wasn’t a ton of energy in the gym.
“I was very impressed with the fact even when we were ahead by a ton when the other team finally got something good going we were diving on the floor and stuff. We didn’t let the score change the way we were playing.”
That’s a lesson they learned painfully in this year’s county tournament. They were playing in the quarterfinals against Oxford, a team they had beaten multiple times in the season, and were thinking more about a semifinals matchup with Jacksonville instead of the matter at hand. They never got to the semifinals.
“We didn’t look at the roadblock in front of us, we just assumed, and assuming is the worst thing you could do,” Clendenin said. “So today was a good day to say one game at a time. The girls kept saying focus on what we’ve got, because some of them started talking about who do we play next. I’m like we’ve got to finish tonight, there’s no guarantee of tomorrow.”
Well, now they can start planning. They’ll host Shoals Christian in their sub-region game currently scheduled for Friday although school officials would like to play it Thursday if both schools agree.
Mary Marshall Perry was named tournament MVP. She had six kills and two aces in the title match and 10 kills and four aces in the win over JCA.
“I was just really shocked to get this,” Perry said. “I was having a bit of an off period at the beginning of the season and towards the end of last season, so I kind of had to get my mind into it starting about two or three weeks ago.
“Maggie Miller and I really finally connected. You always want that setter-hitter connection and I think we finally got that tonight.”
Miller, last year’s Class 1A tournament MVP, had 22 assists in the JCA match and 36 in the two matches. They were joined on the all-tournament team by teammates Lily Grace Draper, Estella Connell, Ayesha Siddiqua and Naira Rehman.
Draper was named the tournament’s offensive MVP. She had 18 kills and four aces in the two matches.
DONOHO BOX SCORE
Donoho 3, JCA 0
KILLS: Yana Osovska 1, Estella Connell 9, Lily Grace Draper 10, Mercy Mangum 7, Mary Marshall Perry 10, Sam Wakefield 1.
ASSISTS: Maggie Miller 22, Sam Wakefield 1, Estella Connell 1.
ACES: Estella Connell 2, Lily Grace Draper 2, Mary Marshall Perry 4, Ayesha Siddiqua 3.
DIGS: Sam Wakefield 10, Sarah Waggoner 8, Naira Rehman 6, Ayesha Siddiqua 3, Maggie Miller 4, Estella Connell 1, Lily Grace Draper 2, Mercy Mangum 4, Mary Marshall Perry 3.
BLOCKS: Mary Marshall Perry 1.
Donoho 3, Ragland 0
KILLS: Estella Connell 2, Lily Grace Draper 8, Mercy Mangum 4, Mary Marshall Perry 6, Maggie Miller 1.
ASSISTS: Maggie Miller 14, Sam Wakefield 1.
ACES: Lily Grace Draper 2, Mary Marshall Perry 2, Sam Wakefield 2, Naira Rehman 1, Ayesha Siddiqua 7.
DIGS: Yana Osovska 2, Estella Connell 1, Lily Grace Draper 2, Mercy Mangum 2, Mary Marshall Perry 1, Sam Wakefield 8, Sarah Waggoner 3, Naira Rehman 6, Ayesha Siddiqua 6, Maggie Miller 3.
BLOCKS: Estella Connell 3.
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