#1-TRINITY VALLEY DOWNS BUCS AT HOME
Trinity Valley torches Buccaneers from 3-point land
The layups didn’t fall for the Blinn women’s basketball team. The 3-pointers for Trinity Valley did.
The top-ranked Lady Cardinals torched the 16th-ranked Buccaneers from 3-point land 89-66 Wednesday night at the Blinn P.E. Building.
“That’s six straight games they’ve shot like that against us,” Blinn (17-4, 7-2 Region XIV) coach Jeff Jenkins said. “Last year all four games they hit threes like that, and both games this year they hit threes like that.”
Trinity Valley hit 12 threes, six of which came from sophomore guard Deborah Meeks. In the earlier game Jan. 8, a contest the Lady Cardinals won 105-70, they hit 14 threes.
Blinn held with the top-ranked Lady Cardinals for 14 minutes in the first half, before the onslaught of threes began. Buccaneer sophomore Tayler Weiks drained a 3-pointer of her own with 6:34 to play in the half that gave Blinn a 25-24 lead. Sophomore forward Fatima Adams did her part, too, to keep Blinn on pace with Trinity Valley. Adams scored 21 of her 26 points in the first half, including a three-pointer of her own.
“Fatima played so good offensively early,” Jenkins said.
Weiks and Katrina Hayden each scored 10 points, and sophomore Tierra Tucker scored 12.
When Trinity Valley started its run, the Bucs stood no chance at keeping up.
Where the Lady Cardinals hit their shots—from behind the arc, jumpers and down low—Blinn’s offense struggled against a bigger Trinity Valley defense. Because of Trinity Valley’s size on both sides of the ball—the Lady Cardinals’ posts range from 6-foot-1 to 6-foot-3—Blinn was never able to get into a consistent rhythm with its fast-paced, transition offense.
“When they’re hitting threes and getting offensive rebounds and scoring and beating us inside, we could never push the ball,” Jenkins said. “They’re so big that when they do all that, they’re unguardable.”
After pulling away to a 44-33 halftime lead, Trinity Valley continued to control the game early the second half and build its lead to more than 20 points. Blinn managed to cut that lead to 17 off a Tierra Tucker basket and free throw, but it was the closest the Bucs would come.
“To beat Trinity Valley, you’re going to have to get some stops and hit some baskets, and I don’t’ think we did either one of those tonight,” Jenkins said.
For more information on Blinn women’s basketball, visit www.buccaneersports.com.
(Courtesy: Matt Keyser, Blinn Information)