Credle slowed down but not shut down as Smyrna girls beat Cape 55-46

Melena Credle is Smyrna’s silky sweet, left-handed two guard, just a junior, with a future in college basketball. She dreams of playing at Connecticut or Baylor and is accustomed to junkyard defenses designed to shut her down.

Jan. 8 at Cape, Credle had Cape freshman Alia Marshall, a versatile four-sport athlete, chasing her around the court. Marshall was trying to limit Credle's opportunities and prevent her from going off and scoring 34 like she did in a recent loss to Caesar Rodney.

Credle did score 22, though, as the Eagles burst from the starting gate to outscore the Vikings 29-18 in the first half on the way to a 55-46 victory. Freshman Jayla Smith added 11 points for the Eagles, who improved to 4-3 on the season.

Cape was paced by Madi Smith with 11, Sydney Pedersen with 10 and Alia Marshall with nine points. Smith, a senior who had missed the last two seasons with a knee injury that required surgery, had to be carried from the court in the waning minutes of the game, having reinjured the same knee. There is no word on the extent of the injury.

Cape is now 4-3 on the season and will host 2-5 Indian River Tuesday, Jan. 12, at 5:45 preceeding the boys' varsity game at 7. The boys' JV game will start at 4 p.m.

Credle said her best weapon is her left hand, and added, “My teammates can get the job done, so I don’t worry and I don’t force shots. Then there’s the whole transition game and lots of opportunities to score.”

Cape is a team in transition going deep into the bench each game looking for the right combination to win games.