February 28, 2017 courtesy of Lane College Office of Athletics

BIRMINGHAM - Looking to make a deep run in the SIAC post-season tournament, the Lane College Lady Dragons' head coach Kimberly Anderson said while preparing for their first-round matchup against Clark Atlanta, coming off a four-game win streak, she's also making sure her basketball team remains grounded.

"Right now we're just trying to keep the ladies calm and still be able to be humble at the same time," Anderson said. "This is for Lane College. I think this is the first time in history that Lane College [women's basketball] has been seeded this high."

The Lady Dragon's first round opponent was also Lane's first home game of the season with the women taking the game with a convincing 89-78 victory back on New Year's Eve. Junior forward Ashley Gale showed out in that game against her hometown school. The Atlanta, Ga. Native led all scorers with 21 points. She also finished with a team-high nine rebounds.

The 89 points were the most the Lady Dragons have scored this season followed by a 88-71 home win over Central State on February 8. High scoring has been the key to the Lady Dragon's success this season. Lane College is 7-0 when they score at least 64 points with the majority of those points coming from senior combo guard/forward Tashara Jones. Jones leads the team in total points scored (312), points per game (13.0), rebounds per game (7.5) and assists per game (2.4).

Tuesday evening's game at the Bill Harris Arena in Birmingham, Ala. will be the first time this season the Lady Dragons play on a neutral site.

Athletic Director Derrick Burroughs said with Birmingham being less than half a day's drive from Jackson, combined with the recent success of the team, he would like to see plenty of students and alumni in the stands, cheering on Lane College.

"It's an exciting time for Lane College sports," Burroughs said. "Hopefully the other sports will feed off of the success of the basketball programs.

"The more you win, the more people love you. You win and they will come."

Anderson said a lot of the credit for this historic run goes to the seniors on the squad.

"They worked extremely hard," Anderson said. "I am very proud of them because you're talking about eight seniors who gave their heart and soul to the program. I couldn't ask for a more wonderful group of ladies.

"But above all, there's nothing but God's grace." -GoDragons!-