Photo by Cody Tomer Cameron’s Kenzie Clutter drives up the floor during Thursday’s Class A semifinal against Tucker County.

CHARLESTON — It all comes down to this.

In a rematch of an earlier season contest, WVSSAC Class A top seed Gilmer County (24-2) will take on No. 2 Cameron (23-4) for all the marbles in today’s state championship game at 10 a.m. inside the Charleston Coliseum & Convention Center.

The two squads met on Dec. 10 in what was a Gilmer County 76-43 triumph. However, the Dragons have grown a lot since then and coach Holly Pettit says the team is feeling relaxed heading into the finale.

“The girls are a little more relaxed because they know the target is on Gilmer’s back,” Pettit said. “They’ve been No. 1 all season and we are playing like we have nothing to lose. We’re just going to leave it all on the court. I’m proud of these girls either way.”

Gilmer’s pressure defense is what has set it apart from the rest of the Class A field all season but Pettit feels that if her squad stays cool and collected, they can find a way to slow the game down.

“If we don’t dribble into their traps, if we keep our heads up when handling the ball, if we keep it in the middle of the court and don’t crack under the pressure, we should be able to break their press,” Pettit said. “We want to slow the pace down and play in a half court set.”

Kenzie Clutter showed she can handle pressure in the semifinal with 10 assists and only one turnover, while scoring eight points in a 51-44 victory over Tucker County.

“Each game Kenzie has gotten better and better,” Pettit said. “There is no better time than now to be playing at her best. If they came out to guard her, she dished it down low on Thursday and if she is able to draw the defense to her, she can do it again.”

Ashlynn VanTassell has had a remarkable tournament through two games as she set a tournament record with 31 rebounds in the opener and followed that performance up with a 20-point, 13-rebound game against Kadie Colebank and Tucker County.

Freshman Maci Neely has also been strong as she is averaging 10 points a game through her first two showings.

“I think the girls played really well on Tuesday,” Pettit said. “Thursday, they didn’t have their best game but I think nerves played a part there.”

Pettit and the Dragons were treated to dinner on Thursday night and a fun day off on Friday to calm those nerves thanks to supportive members of the Cameron community.

“We’re so thankful for the friends of Cameron basketball and our community,” Pettit said. “Families have donated to the team. Someone wanted us to take the girls to do something fun (Friday) so we took them ax throwing and a Cameron grad who lives in Charleston took the girls out to dinner on Thursday night. They are so supportive and we couldn’t be more thankful.”

Cameron also received support from the Doddridge County girls’ team, which made signs and cheered on the Dragons during Thursday’s semifinal game.

“I texted their coach after and said, ‘That shows such sportsmanship and they are really good kids,'” Pettit said of the Doddridge County girls. “They are an opponent on the floor and they played us earlier and their coach told me that our girls were very respectful and that is what you want to hear as a coach. This just shows a lot about their team.”