1954-1972

Lady Warriors to Compete ional ~ournament czj: By DAVID ALEXANDER ' t

seconds of regulation play, Monica Davis and Jamala Odom connected on two clutch three point attempts which sent the team into overtime. Captain Renas Reed demonstrated why she is captain by hitting two crucial free throws,with three seconds remaining on bver- time play to give the Lady Wariors the 88-87 win. The second round brought a determined Northwest team but they were no match for East Central who won the game 94-84. This threw East Central into the championship-round against, who else, Pearl River. With four of EC's six losses com- ing a t the hands of Pearl River, the intensity level would undoubtedly be high. Both teams knew each other's strengths and weaknesses and both knew it would be a fight to the last second on the clock. The Lady War- riors took the court, determined to put their previous defeats behind them and concentrate on winning the game. It was no longer just a. Game; it had become a rndtler oi personal pride. The k s k they set for themselves was not an easy one, but they accepted the challenge and defeated Pearl River 63-60 in the most intense game of the year. Head Coach Sammy Pace, now in his ninth year a t East Central, has had teams to participate in the region tourney but this is his first trip to the nationals. East Central takes on Central Arizona in first round competition.

to win their next five games before dropping their last two regular season games by a combined deficit of seven points. They finished the regular season in second place behind Pearl River going into South Division play. South division p1,ay saw the Lady Warriors defeat southwest 69.42 and Hinds 90-76. They faced Pearl River in the finals of the tournament but were unable to work their magic on a tough Pearl River offense and lost the game with the heartbreaking score of 78-76. In state tournament play, the Lady Warriors lost no time in defeating hometown favorites Northeast Lady Wildcats 100-89.The win over Nor- theast, the number one seed in the North, gave East Central a shot a t the state championship and another shot a t Pearl River. Unfortunately, Pearl River took the lead and East Central never seemed to get it all together losing the championship round 79-64. At this point, the Lqdy Warriors could have called it quits and still have finished with a spectacular season. Instead, they took on Holmes in the opening round of the Region Tourna- ment. When the buzzer sounded a t halftime, EC was down by 12 points and appeared ready to concede defeat. Returning to the court after halftime was a different team. The Lady Warriors scratched and claw- ed their way within striking distance throughout the second half but could not take over the lead. In the final

While other community and junior college teams across the state are packing their uniforms in moth balls, the Lady Warriors are pack- ing their jerseys for a trip to the Women's National Junior College Basketball Championship Tourna- ment in Tyler, Texas. Sixteen of the top community and junior colleges in the nation will be participating in the tournament. East Central defeated the Lady Wildcats of Pearl River on March 3 to become the first women's team in the history of East Central Com- munity College to ever win the Region 23 tournament and to play in a, national tournament. The Lady Warriors opened the season by pounding Mississippi Delta by 41 points. From that begin- ning, they went on to a 12-0 first semester record which saw them ranked 14th in the NJCAA Poll. After a three-week layoff, the Lady Warriors came back to defeat Delta again in the East Central Tournament. Second night action brought a decisive win over Itawamba. The Lady Warriors suffered their first defeat of the season after a hadfough t battle which went into double overtime play a t Pearl River. They dropped their next game to Holmes which made their record 14-2. This seemed to serve as a wake- up call for the ladies as they went on

.The Lady Warriors defeated Pearl River in the final game of the Region 23 Tournament in Clinton to qualify f bid to the National - Community and Junior College Tournament in Tyler, Texas. - -