Indians shoot down Lady Eagles in Region 23

By Daniel Rigdon / Sports Writer
The Meridian Star

CLINTON — The Meridian Community College women's basketball team saw its season come to an end Monday night as Itawamba shooters caught fire and took the NJCAA Region 23 Tournament opener 88-60 in A.E. Wood Coliseum on the campus of Mississippi College.

"We played a very good team tonight," said Meridian coach Hilary Allen. "They shot the ball extremely well."

The Indians did just that as they shot 46 percent from 3-point range, while shooting 53 percent overall on the night. Meridian shot just 33 percent from the floor in the contest.

Itawamba set the tone early as it scored five points in the first 40 seconds and at the 13-minute mark led the Eagles 15-7

MCC showed some resolve going on a 14-7 run over the next nine minutes to pull within one point of ICC at 22-21.

Unfortunately for Meridian, that was as close as it would get.

Itawamba immediately responded to the Eagles' rally by hitting three 3-pointers within a two-minute span to push the lead to 10, the first double-digit lead of the night and MCC entered the locker room at halftime down 37-27.

The Indians went 11-24 from 3-point land on the night.

"They were a real difficult team for us to matchup with," added Allen. "In essence they had five guards and I attempted to go to a five-guard lineup. They were just better than us at those five positions."

Itawamba got even hotter in the second half dropping in 19 points in the first five minutes of play to give itself a 20-point cushion.

From there, the Eagles were never able to hit their stride and eventually gave up the loss and an end to its season.

"They shot the ball extremely well even up to the last second of the game," noted Allen. "It's just a disappointing loss to a tough season."

MCC was led by Amber Fields with 14 points, while Sharda'e Johnson and LaDarica Campbell each registered nine on the night.

Itawamba got a game-high 23 points from Birdie Bowens, while Anna Dill scored 20 and Mandy Collins went for 18.

The Eagles end their season with a record of 24-7 and a Miss-Lou Conference title to their credit.

ICC 88, MCC 60
ICC 37 51 — 88
MCC 27 33 — 60

ICC (88) — Birdie Bowens 23, Anna Dill 20, Mandy Collins 18, Ebony Williams 15, Lori Crudup 8, Vetrorra Cole 2, Destini Shannon 2. FG 32, FT 13-21, F 19. (3-pointers: Bowens 5, Dill 3, Collins 2, Williams 1. Fouled out: none.)
MCC (60) — Amber Fields 14, Sharda'e Johnson 9, LaDarica Campbell 9, Bianca Powell 8, Tiara Logan 7, LaQuita Burrough 6, Porsha Wilson 4, Tay Odneal 2, Matika Sterling 1. FG 18, FT 20-25, F 18. (3-pointers: Powell 2, Johnson 1, Logan 1. Fouled out: none.)


At A.E. Wood
Results from Monday’s action at the NJCAA Region 23 Tournament at A.E. Wood Coliseum in Clinton.

Region 23 Women
First Round
East Mississippi 71, Jones County 56
Baton Rouge 73, Northwest Mississippi 69
Co-Lin vs. Southwest Mississippi
Itawamba 88, Meridian 60

Tuesday’s slate of games at the NJCAA Region 23 Tournament at A.E. Wood Coliseum in Clinton.

Region 23 Men
First Round
Jones County vs. Itawamba, Noon
Pearl River vs. Southern-Shreveport, 2 p.m.
Delgado vs. Hinds, 6 p.m.
East Mississippi vs. Northeast Mississippi, 8 p.m.