2005

WEE: K OF ____}_...:..__.;...../ ____ _ Lady SPECIAL TO THE TIME~

DECATUR- It seemed only fit– ting following last Wednesday's dramatic win that the East Central Community College Lady Warriors would need a last– second shot in hopes of claiming back-to-back Region 23 Tournament titles, but Kotreece Bender's three-pointer at L'le buzzer was off the mark and Northwest Mississirpi Community College held on i:>r 58-55 decision. The loss came in the cl;lampi– onship contest h eld Thursday night at Mississippi College's A E. Wood Coliseum in Clinton. East Central, which advanc:

Lady Warriors India Backstrom (left) of Neshoba Central ana School product Kristin Chaney were named to the Reg!oo 23 lowing EC's 58-55 loss to Northwest In the title game 1'hursc1ay lbe Lad) Warriors advanced to the championship contest after posting wins o.er Gdf Coast (15-Ql and Detta (75-74~ Cotr.ty High earn fol-

Warriors Advance In Post-Season ished with a 20-10 record under fourth-year head coach Brad Hodge. Chaneyhad also launched a successful trey sending the con– test into the extra period. Warriors who unproved to 20-9, while the Lady Trojans -whowon the state title last week- fell to 19- 8. Other Lady Warrior pointmak– ers included Backstrom, 14; Bender, 10; Roxanna Rogers of Lake, eight; KimCox of Lake and Sara Judice, four each; and IJoyd and LaSaundra Harrison, two each.

The win was also a little sweet redemption as East Central fell to Delta 59-51 in the state semi-finals the previous week. Not only did Chaney's trey win the game, she scored the game's final seven points to rally the Lady Warriors from a six-point deficit with 29 seconds remain– ing. Coach Hodge had nothing but praise for the LadyWarriors, who found a way to win the contest after trailing throughout most of the second half and were down 31-26 at the break. ''Perseverance was obviously a big key. We just got down and never quit. If you want to win championships, you have to demonstrate the heart of a cham– pion, and this group did that," Hodge said.

The Lady Rangers are now 18- 11 and will represent the state in the NJCAA Division I Women's Basketball Championship sched– uled next week in Salina, Kan. Tierra Young led EC scorers in the title matchup with 16 points. A?P Other point maker s included Bender, 12 points; Roxana Rogers , " v of Lake, nine; Kim Cox, also of :.J<,.. "'- Lake, eight; Chaney, six; and ShannonLloyd , four. Chaneyand SC0 India Backstrom were named to the Region 23 All-Tournamen t U t-t IC Team. 'NI ~~ Chaney's Victorious In Semi-F1nals ..... Chaney's three-point shot a s ~P IRtime expired sent the contest into , '.I: p p. the extra period tied at 57-i57, had • 1 31 points to lead the Lady

Earlier in the tournament, Chaney pl.Ullped in 16 points and Backstrom added 15 to lead East Central to a 75-62 win over Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College last Tuesday in the first-round. In addition to Chaney and Backstrom, other EC point mak- - --–

ers included Shannon Lloyd, 13; Bender, 10; Cox (Lake), nine; Young, six; Harrison, five; and Judice, one.

The Lady Warriors, who led by asmany 17 points in the fir st half, settled for a 37-28 advantage at the break. Gulf Coast came within - - - –

two points of the Lady Warriors in the second half, but an 18-i5 run put the game out of reach.