Lady Dragons Advance; Reach SIAC Championship Game
Josh Lemons
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (March 1, 2019) - Defense wins championships, right? The Lady Dragons sure hope so, and they have one game left to prove it.
If you think Wednesday's outcome over then unbeaten Benedict College was crazy, you ain't seen nothing yet.Â
The Lane College women's basketball team continues to rewrite the history books, this time knocking off Central State, 53-37, to advance to the SIAC Championship Tournament for the first time in program history.
The two teams struggled to find the basket in the first half, both teams shooting under 22 percent, with the Lady Dragons taking a slim 19-17 lead into the break. Out of the break, Lane College Head Coach
Kimberly Anderson put her team in a full court press that caused turnovers and easy transition buckets that helped her team break out to the big double-digit lead in the second half. For Anderson, she said that is just how she wants her team to operate.
"What I try to do is teach defense and I try to teach the principles of defense," Anderson said. "So, my team is very defensive-minded. We are grounded on doing the things that need to be done on defense."
Junior forward
Chasity Moore had a season-high 14 points, while pulling in eight rebounds with two steals, two blocks and an assist. Moore said after the game she feels that her role on the team is to bring the intensity and to get her teammates involved.
"What I try to bring is a lot of energy and a lot of aggression," Moore said. "My purpose was to get my teammates going and the energy flowing because I know once we pick up the energy and get rolling then, we're unstoppable.
"I just try to be that key defensive player that every team wants to have."
Sophomore guard
Cierra Brown had a season-high in minutes played and nearly matched her season-high in points, finishing with 12 points. She said the difference in the first half and the second half in Friday night's win was simply, communication.
"We had to just talk [to each other] and feed off of each other and tell each other, 'We're not going home. We've got to win.'
"So, that's what we did."
Addie McNeely also finished in double-figures with 12 points while
Porche' Hannah brought in a game-high 14 rebounds.
The Lady Dragons face off against the No. 7 seed Kentucky State in the championship game on Saturday at 4 p.m. Lane swept the regular season over the Thorobreds, picking up a 69-53 win on December 1 in Jackson and a 55-41 victory on January 26 in Frankfort, Kentucky. But, as far as Anderson is concerned, those victories are out the window.
"As of now, I can't take anything away from anybody because we've got to go in still ready to compete as if we are at the bottom," Anderson said.
In this tournament, it has been the fourth quarter where the Lady Dragons have pulled away from their opponent. Lane led Benedict by two but stretched the lead to 16 before winning by 13 in the quarterfinals. And on Friday, the Lady Dragons stretched a five-point third quarter lead to a 16-point margin of victory. Anderson said, she just believes they want it more.
"I think they're hungry," Anderson said. "And I think my team peaked at the right time.
"I said to them, 'God did not bring us here to fail.' So, we have another journey that we have to travel but we're ready for that journey."Â Â
