SPORTS
Cantwell continuing to flourish at next level
Seasons can end in what seems like a flash, but usually they happen during a game.
For Bowie alumnae Kamryn Cantwell, her Southeastern Oklahoma State team’s season ended right before it was to practice for the Division II Women’s Basketball Championship at the venue on March 12.
“We were dressed out in our practice gear with 20 minutes to go before practice started and we found out they had cancelled the Division I and II tournaments,” Cantwell said. “It was heartbreaking because we had gotten so far, and we’ll never know how far that team could have gone.”
The threat of COVID-19 was sweeping America that week, causing almost all sporting events at all levels to almost simultaneously cancel or postpone their seasons.
The National Collegiate Athletic Association made the call to cancel both the men’s and women’s basketball tournaments that coins the phrase March Madness due to its unpredictability. The NCAA also canceled all spring sports.
“As far as the spring athletes, I hate that for them because so many of them didn’t even get to get their season going,” Cantwell said. “I know that a lot of those kids will get another year from the NCAA, but I also know a lot of them already have plans next year.”
The Lady Storm were just coming off winning the Great American Conference tournament, a tournament where Cantwell was named the most valuable player after averaging 22.7 points and six rebounds a game.
With a 22-7 record and with three senior starters, including conference MVP Katie Webb, Southeastern Oklahoma State will never find out how far it could have gone in the NCAA tournament.
For Cantwell, it was an anticlimactic end to a great sophomore season for all intents and purposes, both for the team and her individually.
The point guard was second on the team scoring 15.8 points a game while shooting an efficient 47.2 percent from the field and 41.3 percent from 3-point land. Besides just scoring, she led the team with 3.7 assists and also collected 5.1 rebounds and 1.4 steals. She was named to the GAC conference first team list.
She did all of this while never missing a game and playing the second most minutes at one of the most demanding positions.
“We knew pretty much from day one she could fill that role,” SEOSU Coach Darin Grover said.
Cantwell was not sure what her role would be when recruited. Though she had played point guard at Bowie, the step up in responsibilities are usually not thrust on an incoming freshman.
“I played point guard in high school, but I was more expecting to be the (shooting guard) or (small forward), but when I got on campus, I just told myself I was going to fill whatever position they needed,” Cantwell said.
The only thing clear to her when recruited was she was expecting to contribute in some capacity early on.
With the departure of a key senior player at the position, someone needed to fill it and Grover was sure Cantwell could do it.
Besides a hiccup in her second game against Pittsburg State, it was clear early on Cantwell was going to be a key piece to the team right away. She scored in double figures in 11 of her first 12 games, starting everyone she played in. Though she was making it look easy, Cantwell said the transition was not as seamless as it seemed.
“I would say how much faster and physical the game is,” Cantwell said. “When you go in as freshman, everyone is bigger than you. You’re typically one of the smaller ones if you’re a guard.”
That physical play took a toll on her as she started having to play through a nagging pain in her shin. When it became too much for her to tough it out, she got it checked out and found out it was a stress fracture on her tibia.
That news ended her season halfway through. She had averaged 13.5 points a game, 5.4 rebounds and 2.9 assists.
Though it cut short what was turning out to be a promising freshman year, Cantwell made the most of a bad situation.
“On the flip side, a part of me is glad because I got to see a lot of things I hadn’t seen,” Cantwell said. “The whole time I was there playing, I started from the first game, so I got to sit back and observe and just watch the coaches and the players and what we were trying to accomplish offensively and defensively. So I think that really helped this year.”
“What Kam has done is just rare for a freshman,” Grover said. “To not just start, but to excel and then to have her season cut short and come back even better this year. We needed every bit of that.”
Some people are less surprised than others she has been this successful early on.
“I really thought she was an extremely special talent,” former Bowie Coach Chuck Hall said. “I have not been surprised at all by her success. She works so hard and you see the work pay off on the court.”
To read the full story, pick up a copy of the mid-week edition at the Bowie News.
Saint Jo
The Saint Jo Lady Panthers again made a come back win against Perrin-Whitt in a high scoring affair that ended early.
The Lady Panthers won 20-10 against the Lady Pirates, winning after six innings due to run-rule.
Saint Jo’s last game had been 12 days earlier against the same Perrin-Whitt team it had also beaten in a high-scoring game 35-20. Another win would secure the Lady Panthers district title.
Saint Jo started off the game well, scoring five runs in the first inning and one more in the top of the second inning to go up 6-0. The Lady Pirates then reeled off nine runs in the bottom of the second inning which usually would change the whole momentum of the game with them up 9-6.
Perrin-Whitt added one more run in the third inning after holding Saint Jo scoreless, which is another rare feat in the team’s history of playing the other. The Lady Pirates led 10-6 and had momentum.
Then the Lady Panthers scored six runs in the fourth inning to take the lead back. Saint Jo’s pitching and defense tightened up to not allow any more runs in the final three innings while the Lady Panthers added four runs in both the fifth and sixth innings.
It was enough to end the game early by one inning, with Saint Jo winning 20-10.
Symbri Evans and Reagan Wilson each had four RBIs to lead the team while Mercedes Diaz was second with three RBIs. The team finished with 20 hits while drawing nine walks.
Defensively, Saint Jo allowed only seven walks, a good improvement from a lot of games where the total in the double-digits while the Lady Panther defense committed four fielding errors and allowed 15 hits.
The win wrapped up a district title for the team. For the girl’s program, it is the fourth team district title this season, having already secured one in volleyball, basketball and track.
Nocona
The Nocona Lady Indians ended their regular season on a sour note against one of the top teams in the district last week.
The Lady Indians lost to Lindsay 12-2, with the game ending after five innings due to run-rule.
Nocona was coming off of securing its first playoff appearance the previous week, but knew it would be tested against a Lady Knights team they had previously lost to handily in late March. The Lady Indians hoped they could competed better and try to treat the game like a playoff game.
Lindsay led after the first inning 1-0. Nocona came back in the second inning with two runs scored by RBI singles from Ashlynn Brown and Gwyndelyn Forsyth to take the lead 2-1. The Lady Knights tied the game with one run in the same inning to make it 2-2.
Unfortunately, the next three innings belonged to Lindsay. The Lady Knights scored six runs in the third inning to grab momentum. Lindsay then scored three runs in the fourth inning and one more in the fifth inning to end the game early due to run-rule.
The Lady Knights won 12-2.
Nocona ended with four hits while drawing six walks in the game. Lindsay finished with 11 hits and the Lady Indians committed four fielding errors.
To read the full story, pick up a copy of the weekly edition of the Bowie News.
Nocona
The Nocona Indians picked up wins against Era last week to secure their second straight playoff appearance with one more game to play.
The Indians beat the Hornets 12-5 and by run-rule 10-0 after four and half innings.
Nocona was coming off of a tough series against Muenster, losing both games, playing well in one but not the other.
The Indians knew they had a good chance to beat Era if they played up to their potential and they showed it from the first inning in game one.
Nocona rallied off seven runs in the first inning before the Hornets had even bat to put itself in a good situation to possibly end the game early.
The only downside was the Indians were not able to offensively keep up the pressure. Nocona added one run in the seventh inning, two in the sixth and two more in the seventh inning.
Era scored four of its five runs in the final inning to put a bit of a sour note on an Indians win that could have finished stronger as Nocona won 12-5.
Miller Jentry led the team with four RBIs while Walker Murphey and Jayce Lehde each drove in two runs. The team had 16 total hits and drew five walks.
On the mound, RJ Walker pitched three innings and allowed no runs on two hits while striking out seven. The defense committed three fielding errors.
While letting the Hornets off the hook in the first game, Nocona made up for it in game two.
The Indians scored seven runs in one inning again, this time it coming in the second inning. Nocona added three runs the next two innings and shut out Era to secure the win by run-rule after four and half innings. The Indians won 10-0.
Brody Langford and Murphey each drove in two runs each to lead the team. Nocona finished with 10 hits, with four going for extra base hits while Era committed three fielding errors.
On the mound, Walker pitched all five innings and allowed no runs on two hits while striking out eight and walking two. The defense committed two fielding errors.
Saint Jo
The Saint Jo Panthers lost a tough game at Perrin-Whitt last week, with most of the damage coming in the sixth and final inning.
The Pirates scored eight runs in the sixth inning to win the game one inning early due to run-rule 16-6.
The Panthers were coming off an uplifting win against Bellevue that saw them come back several times the previous week on the road. Saint Jo had played Perrin-Whitt in late March and had lost both games in close fashion so the Panthers hoped this time would be a different outcome for them.
The Pirates scored four runs in the first two innings before Saint Jo answered with three runs scored in the third inning. Perrin-Whitt added one run in the same inning and three in the fourth inning.
The Panthers cut the lead down to two runs after scoring three more runs in the fifth inning, making the score 8-6 heading into the sixth inning.
Unfortunately, Saint Jo had an inning from hell, allowing eight runs on five singles, a triple, two walks and a hit batter. The final run scored ended the game early.
Perrin-Whitt won 16-6.
Charlie Barclay led the team with two RBIs while Devin Stewart, Trent Gaston, Charlie Evans and Rylan Forrester each drove in one run. Saint Jo finished with eight hits and drew seven walks.
Unfortunately, the Panthers gave up 12 hits and walked seven batters while committing two fielding errors.
Bellevue
The Bellevue Eagles only played one game last week due to weather concerns later in the week and lost to Perrin-Whitt.
The Pirates won 15-0 after four innings, winning by run-rule in a game the Eagles hopes to forget.
Bellevue had one from Brycen Bancroft and River Trail drew the only walk in a game where not much went right. Eight fielding errors from the Eagles, eight walks issues and six hits added up really fast.
To read the full story, pick up a copy of the weekly edition of the Bowie News.
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