Four in a row
HAMILTON — The Cameron High School Dragon Basketball Team heads into the Christmas break on a hot streak after defeating 61-26 Penney Tuesday night.
A tight, aggressive press defense and high-tempo offense made the difference as the Dragons overwhelmed the Penney Hornets 61-26 for their fourth straight win.
“We were on point. I personally know [Penney] and the people here,” junior forward Bryson Speer said. “I know how this team plays and I told coach ‘if we come in hard, they’re going to break.’ That’s what happened.”
Strong perimeter shooting kept the Hornets contentious early, but timely blocks and rebounds by sophomore forward Daylin Cruickshank and senior guard Ian Riley created fast break opportunities for the Dragons. A put-back jumper by sophomore forward Thomas Robinson made it a two-possession game. A steal by junior forward Ty Speer set Robinson up again underneath and a 3-pointer by twin brother Bryson Speer gave Cameron a double-digit lead, 18-8, by the end of the first.
“I just came out hot and knocked down shots for the team,” said Cruickshank, whose 13 points was second to Riley’s team-leading 17 Tuesday night. “At the beginning of the season, we weren’t passing it or moving a lot. Recently we’ve been getting on each other in practice and making each other better.”
The Dragons continued keeping a frenetic pace in the second half. A Graden Hammond 3-pointer, then a Riley steal and fast-break bucket put Cameron up 32-15. Bryson Speer steal turned into a bucket by brother Ty from underneath just before the halftime buzzer, pushing Cameron’s lead 34-15. Not much changed in the second half as the Dragons continued running away from the Hornets - racking up a 45-22 lead by the end of the third quarter and adding 16 more in the fourth while only allowing only 8 points in the second half.
With the win, the Dragons improve to 5-3. Cameron coach Mark Gordon said he plans to give his players a five-day rest before getting back to practice in preparation to host Macon next Thursday. However, after eclipsing their 2020 win total just halfway into the regular season, Cameron coach Mark Gordon said it won’t take much to motivate his team to get back into the gym.
“We’ve been winning games and they’re seeing the results of the things we’ve been working,” Gordon said. “Obviously, it’s human nature to get excited and to come in and keep going. We have to keep working, keep building and not be satisfied.”
