by Rusty Ellis
The Cookeville Lady Cavs have punched their ticket to Murfreesboro for the second straight season, as they took down Hillsboro 63-24 on Saturday night at home.
Seniors Jordan Gillies and Cassie Gallagher led the way in their 100th career win, with Gallagher pouring in a game-high 22 points. Gillies added 16 points of her own, as head coach Jamie Gillies says that the team making it to this point is a real testament to the leadership those two have provided.
“I’m really excited, Cassie and Jordan have really led the way,” Gillies said. “I’m excited about where we’re headed…they got 19 wins each of their first two years, so to get 30 and 32 in their junior and senior years, that says a lot about who they are and what they mean to our program.”
It’s been a season of growing for the Lady Cavs, as they had three freshmen and a sophomore stepping into major roles from the beginning of the season in the opener against Blackman. While that game didn’t go as Gillies might’ve hoped, it laid the groundwork for players like Macy Hudson, Allie Gillies, Charlie Roby and Cara Lee Gilbert to play like they are now.
And all it takes is a couple possessions for one to see that they aren’t playing like inexperienced players anymore.
“Macy’s playing really unbelievable, she had eight rebounds tonight so that was big for us,” Gillies said. “Jordan and Cassie have so much confidence in these younger players that if they get doubled, they can kick it out to Allie or Cara Lee or Macy or Charlie and have confidence that they can knock down the shots.”
One major plus to the Lady Cavs’ trip back to Murfreesboro this season is that they’ve now been there before. And the hope is that now that they know what to expect, they’ll have a better shot at making it further.
“I think it’s a big deal, and they’re going to bring that experience with them and show these younger kids how to handle it,” Gillies said. “For Cookeville to get there in back-to-back seasons, it’s monumental. It’s exciting.”
Before the season started, Gillies mentioned that while her team was pleased with how last season went, they were still plenty hungry for more. This week, they’ll get their next crack at a gold ball.
“Jordan and Cassie for sure have that mindset that they didn’t finish where they wanted to last year,” Gillies said. “They want to win the whole thing, and if we play like we did tonight, I think we absolutely can win it all.”