For Kim Cram-Torres, the head girls basketball coach at Cumberland County High School, defensive pressure can come with the flip of a switch.
If she wants to just let her opponents know they’re in a basketball game, she can do that. However, if she wants to harass the opponent from baseline to baseline, she merely takes her defensive pressure to another level. It is smothering.
When Cram-Torres turned her defense up another level Friday against Walker Valley, it provided to be too much as the Lady Jets turned many of those turnovers into points and rolled to the easy 65-35 victory.
“Defense is our identity, I think,” Cram-Torres said. “I thought tonight was great because saw some things we really need to work on. We got a lot out of tonight, which will only help us as we move forward.”
The win was Cumberland County’s fourth straight and it moves the Lady Jets to 5-1 on the season. Walker Valley falls to 4-4.
“Offensively, I think we’re sharing the ball really well,” Cram-Torres said. “We have learned how to score in different areas of the floor. Our guards can score in the paint, they’re not just connected to the 3-point line.”
Cumberland County out to the early lead, scoring several buckets early off the press. Sydney Wilhite opened the game with a 3-pointer, and when Jalynn Baldwin scored on a layup, the Lady Jets led 11-0 with 5:34 to go in the period.
Aliyah Hawkins scored five points in the period, and when she sank one of two free throws in the final minute, CCHS led 20-10 after the first quarter.
The run continued in the second period. Baldwin sparked a 6-0 run by CCHS with two free throws. Wilhite scored on a jumper in the paint, while Lauren Clark scored on a layup to give the Lady Jets a 29-15 lead with 5:03 remaining in the half.
Leading 41-21 to open the third quarter, Cumberland County burst out of the gate with an 11-1 run. Alexis Carroll led the way for CCHS. She was joined by Baldwin, Clark and five points from Hawkins to make it 52-22 at the 5:34 mark.
“A good performance like tonight is something I think we thought we could do,” Cram-Torres said. “People who think that think you should just go do that. If you can do it, then go do it. But it takes a lot to get to that point. I think we’re finally finding out where everyone can help us with the most efficiency.”
Cumberland County put three players in double figures. Wilhite led the way with 19 points. Hawkins had 14 points and Baldwin contributed 11. Clark scored seven, while Carroll and Daminica Beal added six points each. Caylin Hale tallied two points.
Madison Bischoft scored 15 points to lead Walker Valley in scoring. Chloe Poe added seven points.
“We did a great job defensively in the halfcourt tonight, and I thought we had the chance to do that,” Cram-Torres said, “because the game got blown wide open. So, we could say this is what we’re going to work on tonight.”
Up next, Cumberland County will host Rhea County Dec. 12 before visiting Clarkrange on Dec. 15. Tipoff for each game is 6 p.m.