Kingston, TN –
By Justin Braden
Girls
The Midway Lady Wave prevailed again 59-22 over the Rockwood Tigers on senior night at Midway High School for their second win over the Tigers this week.
Midway (17-7, 7-1 in 1A-District 4) had already locked in the regular season District 4 championship, but on Friday night they set out to finish the season strong, and the complete team effort they showed against Rockwood (9-14, 3-5 in 1A-District 4) was an exposition of the Lady Wave’s multiple scoring threats.
Rockwood established a 2-3 zone early on to put size against speed against sophomore guard Kyliegh Cawood who had scored 13 points against the Tigers on Monday, and the containment worked in this game, limiting her to 9 points, but the defensive scheme made opportunities for Midway’s other starters to break free and score.
Late in the first quarter, senior Kali Kile whipped a pass across the court in transition and found junior Abbie Parks wide open underneath the goal.
Parks, who led the team in scoring with 11 points, unloaded on offense in the first half, with 9 of those points coming in the first quarter, including a big 3-pointer from the corner of the arc that allowed Midway to begin the game with an 11-2 lead.
At the end of the first quarter, the Lady Wave led 18-4, and in the second quarter, they extended that lead by getting to the foul line early, with juniors Addie Armes and Chloe Jarnigan grabbing offensive rebounds and drawing fouls.
In her final regular season game for the Lady Wave, Kile slated Armes as one of the leaders that she expects to develop into the next season, “(Armes) will be up there. I think that she’ll come through. She started out really good this season and is still doing good.”
During a 13-0 run through the first and second quarter, Midway forced turnovers out of its 1-2-2 zone, and that was highlighted by junior Cloa Copeland stealing the ball and finding Armes who had an open lane to finish the play with a lay-in.
Midway head coach Mike Hayes pulled his starters in the third quarter and tested his bench against the Rockwood starting five, and Lady Wave junior Kiersten Ruffner snagged a pass and stepped into a three-pointer that extended the lead to 30 as the third quarter wound down.
In the closing moments of the fourth quarter, coach Hayes sent Kile back into a game that was well in hand so that the senior could receive a final ovation in front of her home crowd.
On the game’s final play, Kile ran free from the Rockwood defense on a fast break, and before the final seconds could fall off the clock, she laid in her final regular season score as the crowd came to their feet for a final ovation inside the Midway High gymnasium.
“It was nerve-wracking, but it felt good,” Kile said as she reflected on the final shot she sunk just moments before the senior day activities at midcourt in between the boys and girls basketball game.
Kile is the only senior on a young, but successful Midway Lady Wave team, and being the only senior leader places serious pressure on a student-athlete, to not only perform well but lead by example both on and off the court.
“It’s harder than it looks, it’s been a blessing though. I wouldn’t trade it for the world,” she said of the stress that comes with being the team's go-to leader.
Kile noted the special bond that her team has after the game, and their chemistry together is obvious in watching their dominance over the second half of this season.
“The energy and the connections to all the girls. We’ve all played together so many years, so many times, so many games, I think we’ve just all bonded together,” said Kile.
On Thursday, Midway will host Harriman in the semi-final round of the District 4A tournament. The Lady Wave look to continue their winning ways and close the season being both the regular season and tournament champions in 1A-District 4.
MVP of the game – Kyleigh Cawood. Rockwood built their entire defense around containing Cawood and keeping its size in the lane to keep the sophomore out of her wheelhouse, which is driving the lane and getting to the foul line, but in doing so, the Tigers freed up the other four girls on the court for the Lady Wave to make big shots and put this game out of reach early.
Rockwood 4 2 13 3 - 22
Midway 18 16 16 9 - 59
Leading Scorers
Rockwood (9-14):
Jamie Dean 6, Addison Welch 6, Jazalyn Angel 4
Midway (17-7):
Abbie Parks 11, Kyleigh Cawood 9, Addie Armes 9, Tatum Collier 7, Kali Kile 6
Follow Justin Braden on X @jkbradenco for more prep sports coverage and an opportunity to comment on this article and others. Criticism and feedback of the media improve the quality of coverage given to student-athletes in east Tennessee.
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