Joe’s Take: Cheeseman equals student and player of the game
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Aleigh Cheeseman Aleigh Cheeseman 5'8" | SF Doddridge County | 2027 WV studied the ten players on the court. She studied them nervously as her Nike-clad shoe bounced off the other one. She studied them intently, with her hand resting…
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Continue ReadingAleigh Cheeseman Aleigh Cheeseman 5'8" | SF Doddridge County | 2027 WV studied the ten players on the court.
She studied them nervously as her Nike-clad shoe bounced off the other one.
She studied them intently, with her hand resting on her chin and a hunch to her back.
She studied them patiently, carefully taking in as much of a play as she could before moving on to the next one.
Eyes scanned over the court. Wheels turned inside her head. Knowledge probably downloaded into her basketball brain.
During a day inside West Virginia State University, Cheeseman made the most out of another opportunity to learn as much about the high school game as she could before she joins it next year.
She questioned. She remembered. She even got a bit excited when Doddridge County started ramping up the pace against Wirt County.
Maybe it was slight, but it was there. Her hands clapped before she went back to stoic and observation status.
Heck, about the only time her concentration lapsed was when she fiddled with the brightness setting on the Bulldogs’ iPad. Other than that, she stayed locked on the action.
She took in Abby McDonough Abby McDonough 5'7" | CG Doddridge County | 2023 State WV ‘s unselfish nature in the first quarter. Thus, seeing that when you trust your teammates, good things usually happen. McDonough only scored three points as she drew most of the attention, but her teammates didn’t let her down.
One thing filed away.
Emily Gola and Carry Lloyd happily pushed the Bulldogs to an early lead. Cheeseman nodded as the two began the assault, and by doing so she signified she knew exactly how much different the high school game is from the middle school game.
The attention to McDonough also taught Cheeseman just how in demand and how much attention she herself would be getting from opposing teams. You see in high school you can watch films, and go to games and the pressure to win is much more enormous than at the middle school level.
And let’s face it, Cheeseman already announced herself with a 41-point game against Tyler County earlier this season, so it isn’t like people won’t know who she is.
Two things filed away.
McDonough also showed her a valuable lesson in when to take over a game. Once she started scoring and really showing her talents, Cheeseman became more intent on not missing the action. Her vision so many times sat fixed on Abby as she rumbled down the floor with the ball in hand. Cheeseman witnessed her movements and her play that helped the Bulldogs pull away, but never seemed disinterested or lost.
Was that a blink in the second quarter?
No, she just had to get a little more comfortable.
After she adjusted, the Bulldog further examined a strong Doddridge team as they proceeded to put the clamps on the Tigers. She let her composure slip with a cheer as Emily Gola canned her third trey of the game off a McDonough assist – only to return to form a moment later.
Could halftime get the better of her?
What do you think?
Cheeseman stayed rooted to her perch above the Yellowjackets’ home floor throughout halftime and not-so-patiently waited for the action to recommence.
Once it did, school was back in session. She studiously kept her eyes on the floor even as the Bulldogs started the final pull away. Yet, it wasn’t all bad news or anything. She witnessed stoicism and competitive fire from Wirt County’s DJ White. This fight showing her that no matter how bad things get on the floor, you have to keep fighting.
But then the brightness setting caught her attention and for just a moment it seemed like she might pull away. Just for a second though. The time passed without her giving it a second thought. She happily returned to the basketball court.
In other words, she just couldn’t take her eyes off of the court.
It didn’t matter that it was early morning.
It didn’t matter that Doddridge and Williamstown were already locked into the Little Kanawha Conference title game.
It didn’t matter that this reporter was studying her and observing how she scanned the game. She learned and learned and learned until the final buzzer.
Class dismissed.
Contact Joe Albright at josephpalbright3@gmail.com.