The CAM Cougars opened the postseason with a dominant performance, defeating the Stanton Viqueens 53-20 in the 1A Region 7 First Thursday night in Anita. Although the * offense didn’t come right away, the game belonged to the Cougars from the halfway point of the first quarter. Altough Stanton did a good job of getting out of CAM’s press, it was the Cougars’ quickness from the press to the half-court defense that put a lot of pressure on Stanton.
Offensively Ada Hansen led the way again, scoring more than half of CAM’s points. Hansen’s performance, combined with the secondary scoring and solid team defense, pushed CAM on to the second round of the regional tournament.

Out of the gates, it was the Viqueens that struck first. Cooper Stephens nailed a three on the very first possession of the game to give Stanton a quick 3-o lead. However, CAM held them to only that. The Cougars did not give up a single point the rest of the quarter and only surrendered one field goal in the second frame. CAM’s press was effective, but Stanton did a good job of getting out of it. However, it was the Cougars’ transition from the press to their half-court that made the difference. The speed of the transition forced Stanton into quick shots, and when they did settle, the cougars made it extremely difficult for Stanton to drive the lane. Meanwhile, the offense didn’t come right away. However, the switch flipped at the halfway point of the first quarter. Over the final four minutes of the frame, CAM outscored Stanton 14-0 to end the opening quarter with a 16-point lead.

On offense, Ada Hansen was the star of the show. Scoring 27 points, she accounted for over half of CAM’s offense. Per usual, she was all over the floor and used her speed and aggressiveness to create opportunities for herself and her teammates. In addition to Hansen’s performance, seven other Cougars found their way onto the scoresheet. Ruthie Rich had a very strong effort ading 10 points, while Keely Kinney and Ailey Wahlert finished with four. At the end of the opening half, there was little doubt that the Cougars were in control.

Little changed in the second half as far as the outcome was concerned. Stanton was able to find some more offense as Piper French showcased her moves and added seven points to finish the game with nine. However, the Cougars never allowed a major momentum shift to occur as CAM secured its spot in the second round of the 1A Region 7 tournament. Head coach Joe Wollum was happy with the effectiveness of his defense.

He was also proud of Hansen’s performance and how she’s grown as a basketball player.

Secondary scoring is always an important aspect, and Wollum was happy to mutiple girls have a solid performance.

Up next for the Girls will be the Bedford Bulldogs, and Wollum has noticed their physicality.

That game is scheduled for Tuesday in Anita with tipoff set for 7 p.m.