2002

WEEKOF UL 2

West La derdale sweeps By Jeff Byrd staff writer

does a great job with them," Vance said. Hurst felt his team played well in all three games in route to the title. West is now 12-0 on the season and the ECCC crown makes two tourney titles for the year. "We played well the whole tournament," Hurst said. "We're trying to be a team that has the whole package. ].J. has really worked on her outside ~hooting and she played well tonight." Huggin" ~cored 10 of her game-high 21 points in the fir,t quarter Her three-pointer turned a 19-14 game into a ~2-1-t lead at the horn. West then ~cored the fir,t five points of the second quarter to go up 27-14. Junior po-.t Shannon Lloyd scored three bas– kets off the block to. 'help steer the club in the latter sta'!t!' of the quarter. The l:.ady Knights led 40-23 at the half. The basket' were more distributed equally for the Lady Knights in the third quarter but they all came ba~ically in-.ide the lane. The result was a 54-28 advantage. t\'cwton answered with a mini– spurt at the end of the quarter to make it 55-37. Kristen Chant'V, who v.ent ~coreless in the first half, hit a three late to key the Lady Cougar rally. Ne.,.,lon (oumy, though, couldn't keep up in the fourth quarter as we~t eventually built a 29- point lead. Huggins was named the most valuable player. Gardner abo made the All-Tournament team and finished with 17 points. Lloyd had 12 and Kelia Wibon chipped in eight. including &for-6 off the free throw line.

DECATUR- Too big, too physical and basi– cally too good. That's how Newton County head coach Natalie Vance described West Lauderdale in a battle of unbeatens for the East Central Community College Classic girls title here Sat– urday night. The Lady Knigh ts over-powered Newton County 74-48, handing the Lady Cougars their first loss of the season after opening with nine ~traight wins including two more in the ECCC Classic. . It wasn't that Newton County played bad, it was more West played so well. The West boys also brought home the title in the boys finals beating Northeast Lauderdale for the fourth straight time this year, 62-44. West Lauderdale girls 74 Newton County 48 When 5-foot-9 power forward J.J. Huggins crossed midcourt in the ~aning seconds of the first quarter, and then launched a 25-foot, three– pointer U1at found nothing but net, Vance knew her team was in trouble. "I used to think the weakness of this team was its outside shooting. But then I see J.J. cross hall– court, make a dribble and knock it down from that far out. And Kristina (Gardner) and Cierra Oennin~s) also hit ones earlier. Wbere's the weaknes~ in this team," Vance asked? ''They were just too big and too physical for u-.... Plus, jody Hurst is a great coach and he

APPEARED IN : LAKE MESSENGER

CARTHAGINIAN NESHOBADEMO __ C_RA_T __________ NEWTON RECORD MERIDIAN STAR}J_ _____ CLARION-LEDGER -------------------

SCOTI COUNTY TIM_E_S______ UNION APPEAL ----------------------- WINSTON COUNTY JOURNAL SPIRIT OF MORTON ---