The diminutive Charleston Catholic girls basketball team goes into nearly every game with a significant size disadvantage.
That was on full display Wednesday evening when the Irish suffered a 44-32 setback to Wayne at the Charleston Catholic Athletic Complex.
The Pioneers (5-2) dominated on the inside, with post players Aeriel Adkins (16 points, 14 rebounds) and Maddie Wilcox (12 points and 15 boards) each recording double-doubles.
Adkins, who averaged 20 points and 12 rebounds last season en route to becoming a Class AA second-team all-state player, is 5-foot-10. Wilcox is the same height and six of Catholic's top eight players are 5-4 or smaller.
"We thought we had a big size advantage," Wayne coach Jamie Smith said. "They have been averaging double-doubles and have been consistent. Aeriel made some noise last year and people took notice. Maddie is relentless on the boards and to the basket."
"We used our height and size to our advantage," Adkins said. "We have good guards who can get us the ball and that is helpful. Me and Maddie work really well together inside and are really close."
Catholic (4-2) started strong, leading 10-3 after the first quarter but a 7-0 run in the second quarter drew Wayne to within just three points at halftime.
The third quarter was when the Pioneers seized control, going on a 10-0 run to take a five-point lead into the fourth quarter. Wayne didn't hit a 3-pointer in the first half, but drained three in the third period alone.
The Irish trailed 32-28 when another 7-0 run in the fourth quarter helped Wayne pull away. Wilcox scored 11 of her 12 points and grabbed 10 of her game-high 15 rebounds in the second half.
"Our defense was very good all game and in the second half, we made some shots," Smith said. "We missed a lot of good shots in the first half and didn't play well. The kids knew it and to their credit, they fixed it. We were able to execute better."
While Catholic lacks size, its defense and ability to force turnovers with its speed and quickness has been its calling card, but the Irish were only able to muster six steals against Wayne.
"I give them a lot of credit," Catholic coach Zach Bogan said. "They handled the pressure well. When they turned it over, it was a lot of dead ball turnovers, throwing it out of bounds. We didn't get to get up and down the court like we wanted to do."
Bogan admitted the Wayne size was a difficult matchup for his Irish.
"They are bigger than we are, which most teams are," Bogan said. "At times we were hesitant, whether it was their size or we didn't like what we saw. It definitely played a factor in the game. They kind of wore us down."
Smith was ecstatic with the victory over a perennial Class A state power.
"This is a good win for us to be on the road and play a ranked team and pull off a 12-point victory," Smith said. "Catholic is a quality opponent and this is big. I'm tickled to death to get this win."
Maddy Blaydes and Raegan Palmer led the Irish with 10 points each. Catholic leading scorer Vida Imani was held to just two points on four shot attempts.