Cameron men cage Javs; women fall

Any fan who has turned out to watch the Cameron men play this season had to notice the warm-up shirts the Aggies are wearing with big block letters on the back that simply say “Overlooked” and that has been the rallying cry all season.

The Aggies were picked last in the preseason Lone Star Conference race but they’ve played much better than expected, climbing to 16-11 overall and 12-9 in the conference after dispatching Texas A&M-Kingsville, 88-73, Saturday at the Aggie Gym.

Coach Kevin O’Connor has assembled a long, athletic bunch that plays big and he has plenty of weapons and that lack of respect has driven the team to the unexpected success that has them in the race for the LSC Tournament.

“This is a smart bunch, they picked up things quick and it helped that the guys I brought in from Murray had played together and knew our sets,” O’Connor said while checking other LSC scores after the game. “We were picked dead last after going 4-24 last season but these guys decided that would be something that motivated them.”

While the Aggies are still in the playoff picture, the Cameron women saw their hopes dashed Saturday after a 64-61 loss at the hands of the Javs

Both teams will end the regular season Thursday when arch rival Midwestern comes to the Aggie Gym for a 5:30 p.m. doubleheader.

Aggies dumb Javs

Cameron men led for all but 1:43 of the game, getting inside early and often with crisp passing and plenty of athletic ability causing problems for the visitors.

The Aggies hit 29-of-61 from the field for 47.5 percent, they sank 10-of-25 from behind the arc and drilled 20-of-25 free throws for a strong 80 percent.

O’Connor’s club also turned the ball over just seven times and they won the battle on the boards.

Plus the balance was once again strong with four players scoring in double figures and five others getting on the scoring chart.

Jaylan Thomas led the way with 22, Daylon Andrews added 14 and Andre Washington and Lavell Brodnex each produced 12.

Point guard Brodnex, a sophomore from Saginaw, Mich., directs the attack and he’s been with O’Connor since their time at Murray State College.

“He just makes everyone else better,” the coach said. “He knows what I want and he goes out there and handles the ball and gets us in the right sets.”

Cameron men are tied for eighth in the LSC standings with Texas A&M-International, which beat the Aggies in a big game Thursday night. That could be a key tie-breaker that may go against the Aggies but their first order of business is to beat Midwestern this week.

“We won by one down there but they are a very good ball club that is well coached,” O’Connor said. “They are long and tall but I feel we are long and athletic. They will switch from man to zone defense at times and it will be a good test for us.”

Women’s rally just short

Cameron women came out hot, hitting their first five shots from the field but after the first quarter the Aggies of Coach Jeff Mahoney were never able to get back in front.

In the early going there were seven lead changes and five ties but after that the Aggies were unable to handle the more physical inside players that the Javs have in their lineup.

“That bunch almost won the conference tournament last year and all those girls returned,” Mahoney said. “They just have some players we can match up with inside and that’s why they were able to get so many points there in the paint.”

The Javs won that battle in the paint 32-20 and that was clearly the difference.

Cameron shot well from the field and from long range but they hit just 7-of-12 from the free throw line and that proved to be costly.

CU wound up with four players in double figures as Katie King and Korie Allensworth, two of five seniors honored before the game, led the Aggies with 15 each while Shamika Smith scored 13 and Kailyn Lay, another senior, added 12.