BLINN WOMEN’S BASKETBALL USES STRONG SECOND HALF TO BEAT PANOLA
Story by Joe Alberico, Blinn College Sports Information
The Blinn College women’s basketball team avenged a Region 14 loss with a hard-fought 69-58 victory over Panola College on Wednesday in Brenham, Texas.
“I thought that was the best we have played in the second semester of our season,” Buccaneers head coach Jeff Jenkins said. “Now we hope to use this as a taking off point for the rest of the regular season and the postseason.”
Blinn (17-11, 7-5 Region 14) welcomed to the Kruse Center a Panola team which was riding a six-game winning streak and sat alone in second place in the region standings.
The Bucs were undeterred as they went toe-to-toe with the Fillies from the outset.
The two teams went back-and-forth across in the opening period before Blinn sophomore guard Taylor Spencer gave her team a 18-16 edge with a layup.
After Panola tied the game, sophomore forward Cynthia LeCompte sank a free throw to give the hosts a 19-18 lead at the end of the first.
The game would remain tight throughout the second quarter, but Blinn found momentum late with a 6-0 burst to end the half.
LeCompte buried a layup and two free throws and freshman forward Kamaria “Juice” Ford sank a putback to send Blinn into halftime with a 39-33 advantage.
Freshman forward Amyah Weathersby provided the Bucs a boost with 12 first-half points and provided an excellent effort on the offensive and defensive glass for 40 minutes.
“Rebounding is important to me and what we want to do on defense,” Weathersby said, “and the offensive side … I feel like I’m finally starting to get comfortable with my shot. It was good to knock down a few buckets tonight.”
Blinn never trailed or allowed the Fillies to tie in the second half.
The Bucs opened the third quarter on a 12-4 run, including two free throws and a layup from sophomore guard Mariah Houston that gave them a 48-37 advantage — the first double-first lead of the game.
After a Panola turnover, Bucs sophomore guard Jasey Campbell immediately followed with a 3-pointer to make it a 14-point game.
The Fillies battled back to make it 55-45 at the end of the third period but never came closer than six points the rest of the way.
After Panola cut its deficit to 58-51 early in the fourth, Blinn sophomore guard Jaya Gradney hit two free throws and a 3, and Houston followed with a layup as Blinn restored a 14-point lead.
“I think instead of focusing on our missed shots and getting down on ourselves, we focused on bouncing back quickly and moving on to the next play,” Houston said. “We found some chemistry on defense, too, and once that came together I think our shots started falling as a result of that confidence.”
Houston led the Bucs with 16 points, followed by 13 apiece for LeCompte and Weathersby. Gradney added nine.
Up next, Blinn will host Paris Junior College for a region bout at 2 p.m. on Saturday at the Kruse Center.