By Bobby Narang
East Aurora High School (EAHS) girls basketball head coach Lee Clayborn has a deep knowledge of his program’s history.
The Tomcats entered their final three weeks of the regular season with momentum.
Clayborn, an EAHS alum, said he won’t need to research the history of his program, not when he easily can recall the best season. That’s because the Tomcats are in the midst of one of the best seasons in program history in three-plus decades.
The Tomcats, Clayborn said, are having the best season in program history since 1988-89 (26-3 won-loss record). At 19-7 this season and tied for first place in the Upstate Eight Conference at 13-1, the Tomcats have built on last season’s 14-victory record.
“We’ve had great fan support and from the community this season,” Clayborn said. “We’re playing really good basketball and looking to play well in the playoffs.”
The Tomcats, in front of several of their fans, nearly pulled off a Conference road victory against Glenbard South last week.
East Aurora allowed just 39 points and limited the Raiders to less than double digits in the second and fourth quarters. The Tomcats fell victim to a tough night shooting, in dropping a 39-29 decision to the Raiders.
“Our shots were off,” Clayborn said. “We’re a young team and they exposed that. We missed some easy shots. Hats off to Glenbard South. They played a tough game. We’re both tied in conference with four games each to play. We fought hard. Give Glenbard South credit, they held us to 29 points. We also played good defense. The ball didn’t bounce our way tonight.”
By beating the Tomcats, the Raiders (20-5, 13-1) earned a small measure of revenge by evening up the season series against the East Aurora, while putting both teams tied for first place in the Upstate Conference. December 13, East Aurora knocked off the Raiders, 40-28.
The Tomcats look like a team to watch in the playoffs, with senior guard Mia Moore and 6-foot-2 junior center Anastasia Bellamy. Mia Moore led all scorers with 17 points in the loss. Moore is an athletic player with speed and quality handles, capable of grabbing a rebound and darting coast-to-coast for a layup. Meanwhile, Bellamy possesses upside due to her height and solid post moves.
“Mia is a special player and can do a lot for us,” Clayborn said. “Anastasia (Bellamy) has had some really good games for us. I’m excited to see how we do the rest of the season.”
Glenbard South head coach Eric Daca said the Tomcats are a difficult team to game-plan.
“East Aurora is a fantastic team,” Daca said. “We’ve been trying not to overlook any opponent, but we had this one circled. We knew we had to contain the inside because of Moore and Bellamy. Brooklynn (Moore) did a great job on Bellamy.”