Lady Wolves net late 62-59 win
Published 9:55 pm Friday, February 9, 2018
A late game three-pointer from T’Kyra Hicks lifted the Copiah-Lincoln Lady Wolves to a 62-59 win over Hinds Thursday night.
“Both teams played really hard tonight, and neither of us shot the ball extremely well,” said Co-Lin head coach Gwyn Young. “There were some times where I thought we executed well and played tough on defense, especially toward the end. We really need to work on our transition from offense to defense, but I was proud of how we played that second half.”
The Lady Wolves’ offense struggled in the opening quarters of play, as Co-Lin scored seven points in the first five minutes of action. The shooting woes continued into the second period as the Hinds Lady Bulldogs pulled their lead to five, 19-14, with 8:30 left until halftime.
The Lady Wolves battled back and tied the game for the fourth time at 26-all with 4:00 left on the clock. The Lady Bulldogs once again stretched the lead to five, 32-27, in the final minutes of the half, but a layup from Brittany Rose cut Hinds’ lead to three, 32-29, going into halftime.
In the second half the Lady Wolves came out firing. An 11-3 run over the opening four minutes of the second half gave the Lady Wolves a 40-37 lead midway through the third. The lead was short lived, however, as Hinds rallied and retook the lead just minutes later. Going into the final quarter of play Hinds led 53-48.
The Lady Wolves played impressive defense in the fourth, as Co-Lin held the Lady Bulldogs to just six points. The Lady Wolves took the lead, 59-57, with one minute remaining after a pair of Diamond Smith free throws. With 34 seconds remaining, Hinds capitalized on a trip to the foul stripe as Deja Moore rattled home two shots, tying the game for the tenth time at 59-all.
On the Lady Wolves’ next possession Alexus Holt grabbed a key rebound after a missed layup and dished the ball to Hicks on the perimeter. Hicks nailed the go-ahead three-pointer with just six seconds remaining, securing the win for Co-Lin.
Brittany Rose led the Lady Wolves 17 points, while Holt had 16. Hicks finished the night with 14 points. Holt and Alexandria Patton led the Lady Wolves in rebounds with eight each, while Rose led the way in assists with five. Holt also led the team in steals as she racked up six on the night.
Victoria Johnson led the Lady Bulldogs of Hinds with 20 points, while Kirdis Clark posted 16. Nakaylis Washington led the Lady Bulldogs with nine rebounds, while Emesha Chatman posted four assists.
Co-Lin shot 37 percent (22-for-60) from the field, 24 percent (4-for-17) from the three-point line and 74 percent (14-for-19) from the foul stripe. The Lady Bulldogs finished the night shooting 38 percent (21-for-56) from the field, 35 percent (6-for-17) from beyond the arc and 73 percent (11-for-15) from the free throw line.
The win moves Co-Lin to 16-3 on the season and 7-3 in the MACJC South Division. Co-Lin is on the road Monday as the Lady Wolves travel to Decatur to take on the East Central Community College Lady Warriors.