2A Champions - Christian Academy-Louisville

I didn’t get to see CAL play in the 2A Championships but I did recently see them play in the LIT. So this is a two-for-one of LIT coverage and 2A coverage. Or maybe it is just a way to shoehorn in some LIT coverage and also give this team the recognition they deserve for wining their 2nd 2A Championship in 3 years. Doesn’t matter. Enjoy.   [player_tooltip player_id="106134" first="Jaya" last="McClure"] - ’22 5’6"/PG - CAL McClure tallied 9 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, and played all 32 minutes. She had a poor shooting night but made the only basket she needed to in the final minutes of the game. She dribbled through three players in the frontcourt who were actively trying to foul her until she found a lane to take it in for a layup making the winning bucket and giving CAL the 4 point lead. You had to see it. I saw it and I don't believe it. She followed that up making both free throws to extend the lead back to 4 points with 2.1 seconds on the clock to seal the game. Early in the 2nd Quarter she also made a three from 4 feet deeper than the line at the left wing.   [player_tooltip player_id="106156" first="Abigail" last="Embry"] - ’22 5’8"/PG - CAL Finishing with only 2 points, 4 rebounds might make it appear that Embry didn't do very much. But if you saw the game you know she was often guarding one of the best players in the state and handling the ball through great defensive pressure. Plus the shot she hit was a great reverse layup following a drive from the left corner. CAL is loaded with talent and any player could be lost in the shuffle from game to game when looking at the stats. I don't know if Embry has received any offers to play next year but I would recommend to any Coach that they should be reaching out to her to try to get her on campus somehow. She is definitely flying under the radar.   [player_tooltip player_id="326295" first="Bailee" last="Duck"] - ’25 5’7"/SG - CAL Duck was the secret weapon off the bench in this game totaling 9 points, a rebound, 2 assists, and a steal in just under 9-1/2 minutes of play. She scored 7 points in a flurry early in the 4th Quater that flipped the game to CAL. After a dribble in right wing 16-foot jump shot to end the 3rd and trailing by 11 to start the 4th Duck made 2 free throws, a pull-up 8 footer in the lane, a left corner three, and set up a teammate for a post score.   [player_tooltip player_id="231485" first="Savannah" last="Gardner"] - ’24 6’0"/SF - CAL Gardner made a right wing three-pointer to start the 2nd quarter and a left wing in the 4th to tie the game. She later made a right corner three take a 2 point lead right before McClure's heroics sealed the game. She finished the game with 13 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals. Displaying her versatility and tenacity she is perhaps the player most likely to be involved in a scrum for the ball on the floor. It is hard to define her as a player and I mean that in a good way. She can do so many things well and could probably play any of the three of the traditional frontcourt positions. I would not consider her a Guard but she is no stranger to the perimeter as her shooting attests.   [player_tooltip player_id="310830" first="Addison" last="Kincaid"] - ’25 6’0"/C - CAL Kincaid made a 1 dribble/turn baseline move to score off the Duck assist and made a 14 footer from the right corner. She finished with 6 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 steal playing 18 minutes off the bench. [player_tooltip player_id="231487" first="Mariah" last="Knight"] - ’24 6’1"/PF - CAL Knight who had 9 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 blocks has been a solid addition to the team since the last time I was able to see CAL play in week 1. She made a 14-foot jumper behind the free-throw line and a catch and score in the center of the paint through contact and followed up by making the "And 1" free throw.

I didn’t get to see CAL play in the 2A Championships but I did recently see them play in the LIT.

So this is a two-for-one of LIT coverage and 2A coverage. Or maybe it is just a way to shoehorn in some LIT coverage and also give this team the recognition they deserve for wining their 2nd 2A Championship in 3 years.

Doesn’t matter. Enjoy.

Jaya McClure Jaya McClure 5'6" | PG Christian Academy Louisville | 2022 State KY - ’22 5’6"/PG - CAL

McClure tallied 9 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, and played all 32 minutes. She had a poor shooting night but made the only basket she needed to in the final minutes of the game.

She dribbled through three players in the frontcourt who were actively trying to foul her until she found a lane to take it in for a layup making the winning bucket and giving CAL the 4 point lead. You had to see it. I saw it and I don't believe it.

She followed that up making both free throws to extend the lead back to 4 points with 2.1 seconds on the clock to seal the game. Early in the 2nd Quarter she also made a three from 4 feet deeper than the line at the left wing.

Abigail Embry Abigail Embry 5'9" | SG Christian Academy Louisville | 2022 State KY - ’22 5’8"/PG - CAL

Finishing with only 2 points, 4 rebounds might make it appear that Embry didn't do very much. But if you saw the game you know she was often guarding one of the best players in the state and handling the ball through great defensive pressure. Plus the shot she hit was a great reverse layup following a drive from the left corner.

CAL is loaded with talent and any player could be lost in the shuffle from game to game when looking at the stats. I don't know if Embry has received any offers to play next year but I would recommend to any Coach that they should be reaching out to her to try to get her on campus somehow. She is definitely flying under the radar.

Bailee Duck Bailee Duck 5'8" | SG Assumption | 2025 State KY - ’25 5’7"/SG - CAL

Duck was the secret weapon off the bench in this game totaling 9 points, a rebound, 2 assists, and a steal in just under 9-1/2 minutes of play. She scored 7 points in a flurry early in the 4th Quater that flipped the game to CAL.

After a dribble in right wing 16-foot jump shot to end the 3rd and trailing by 11 to start the 4th Duck made 2 free throws, a pull-up 8 footer in the lane, a left corner three, and set up a teammate for a post score.

Savannah Gardner Savannah Gardner 6'0" | SF Christian Academy Louisville | 2024 State KY - ’24 6’0"/SF - CAL

Gardner made a right wing three-pointer to start the 2nd quarter and a left wing in the 4th to tie the game. She later made a right corner three take a 2 point lead right before McClure's heroics sealed the game.

She finished the game with 13 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals. Displaying her versatility and tenacity she is perhaps the player most likely to be involved in a scrum for the ball on the floor.

It is hard to define her as a player and I mean that in a good way. She can do so many things well and could probably play any of the three of the traditional frontcourt positions. I would not consider her a Guard but she is no stranger to the perimeter as her shooting attests.

Addison Kincaid Addison Kincaid 6'3" | C Sacred Heart Academy | 2025 State KY - ’25 6’0"/C - CAL

Kincaid made a 1 dribble/turn baseline move to score off the Duck assist and made a 14 footer from the right corner. She finished with 6 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 steal playing 18 minutes off the bench.

Mariah Knight Mariah Knight 6'1" | PF Butler | 2024 State KY - ’24 6’1"/PF - CAL

Knight who had 9 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 blocks has been a solid addition to the team since the last time I was able to see CAL play in week 1. She made a 14-foot jumper behind the free-throw line and a catch and score in the center of the paint through contact and followed up by making the "And 1" free throw.