Midway Lady Waves Defeat Oneida for Championship!
By Terry Futrell
Some might call it an upset. But for many of us who have watched the Midway Lady Waves progress throughout the season under self-proclaimed “worst coach in the district” Mike Hayes, it really wasn’t a surprise when Midway defeated top-seed Oneida 61-55 for the District 3-1A Championship. It was a close battle that we haven’t seen in this year’s tournament, and one that kept the crowd energized throughout.
Many Midway fans likely had heart tremors as Oneida jumped out to a 7-1 lead and Midway’s Caitlyn Ross was called for two quick fouls. Hearts sank even further as Oneida’s lead grew to 15-4 and the first quarter ended with Midway down by nine points, 15-6.
That old saying about a good defense being the best offense may sound trite, but the Lady Waves proved it to be true in the second quarter. Stepping up their defense, the young ladies from South of the River shut down Oneida’s 3-point shooting and outscored the Lady Indians 9-2 to cut Oneida’s lead to 17-15. The Lady Waves went on to tie the score at 19-19 with 2:29 left in the second period. Midway took a 24-21 lead, but Oneida came back and tied the score 24-24 with 3.4 seconds remaining in the half.
The Lady Waves continued to surge ahead after the break and built their lead to 39-30 with 4:16 to go in the third quarter. Oneida fought back and cut the Midway lead to one point, 43-42 at the end of three.
Oneida tied the game 45-45 early in the fourth period. The teams battled down the stretch, with the score tied at 47-47, then 51-51 with 4:53 to go in the game. The game was last tied at 53-53 with 2:56 to go. From that point, the Lady Waves pulled away for the final 61-55 victory and the District 3-1A championship.
As one might expect, district MVP Caitlyn Ross played a huge hand in Midway’s victory. In addition to being Midway’s floor leader, Ross poured in six baskets, including two 3-point baskets, and shot six of six from the free throw line. Ross scored eight points in the critical fourth quarter, and tallied a total of 20 points in the victory. Emily Cawood scored 15 points for Midway and Rebecca Lemasters added nine points.
Oneida was led by Katelyn Stiltner with 17 points, including seven baskets earned through tough battles in the paint. Chelsea Newport added 14 points for Oneida and Gracie Martin scored 10 points, including six of six free throws.
Midway faces Chattanooga School of Arts and Sciences in regional competition at home on Friday. Oneida will face Sale Creek, also at home the same evening.
