A strong second half performance by the Catawba Ridge Copperheads girls’ basketball team led them to winning the inaugural Copperhead Basketball Classic.
Catawba Ridge beat Cuthbertson 58-40 Thursday afternoon to get the win as they had three players in double figures led by Skyla Tuthill who scored 19 points and Makailah Davis who added 15 points. Tuthill was named to the All-Tournament team and Tatum Postel was named tournament MVP. The Copperheads are now 12-1 on the season.
The game was a pretty tight one in the first half, said Catawba Ridge head coach Sheridan Pressley. Tuthill was shutdown for most of the first half getting just three shots off and hitting one of them, causing others to carry the majority of the scoring in the game.
“People stepped up,” Pressley said. “Tatum has a tall task sometimes. We are starting to really work well together.”
Davis scored nine of her 15 points in the first half, and Postel added six of her nine points in the opening half as well. Morgan Davis was also key in scoring for Catawba Ridge and dropped in six of her 10 points in the opening quarter.
Catawba Ridge was able to get good penetration in the opening quarter and in the second quarter opened the period with an 8-0 run before Cuthbertson was able to battle back to make it a five-point game at the half. The Copperheads were strong throughout the game, but Cuthbertson was able to hang with them for the first half.
In the third quarter, Tuthill scored 10 of her 19 points in the period to help widen the gap as she was able to get better looks and find openings to get shots off.
With a seven-point 38-31 lead entering the fourth quarter, Tuthill and both Makailah Davis and Morgan Davis were able to continue to push the pace for Catawba Ridge as they outscored Cuthbertson 20-9 in the quarter. The Copperheads shot 70 percent from the field in the quarter hitting seven of 10 shots to close out the game.
Up next for the Copperheads is Providence Day on Tuesday, Jan. 4 at home and then at South Point (NC)
Wednesday, Jan. 5.
Mac Banks: mac@fortmillprepsports.com, @fortprep
