By Staff
HOOPSTERS Shelton State Community College's Constance Kelly (14) rushed past MCC defense to help Shelton State break MCC's winning streak. Photo by Carisa McCain/The Meridian Star
By Marty Stamper/staff writer
Jan. 13, 2002
After getting a temporary reprieve by winning the completion of a previously suspended game Saturday, the Meridian Community College Lady Eagles saw their bid for an unblemished season end with a 91-80 loss to Shelton State Community College at the Ivy Sports Center.
The loss snapped the sixth-ranked Lady Eagles' 23-game homecourt win streak and dropped MCC to 15-1.
Shelton upped its record to 8-5. The Lady Bucs hit eight 3-pointers with six different players hitting from behind the arc.
MCC came in outscoring its opponents by a 86.7-65.3 differential.
It looked like another MCC blowout early as the Lady Eagles started the game by scoring the first 11 points.
Shelton rallied to pull even at 20-20 and led by as much as six (28-22) in the first half.
MCC reclaimed the lead at 29-28 on a basket by Cantea Brown with 7:04 to go in the half and stretched back out to a 37-30 lead only to have the Lady Bucs close to within 42-40 by halftime.
Shelton took the lead for good on a 3-pointer from Jennifer West with 16:53 to play and took advantage of several one shot and miss trips by MCC to build a 60-52 lead as LaTiffany Burton scored on a nifty assist from West with 12:45 left.
A driving basket by Constance Kelly put the Lady Bucs up 69-56 with 10:18 remaining.
Shelton led by as much as 16 when Kelly hit two free throws after Allen received a technical foul with 8:49 showing.
A 7-0 run pulled the Lady Eagles back to within 76-67 at the 6:40 mark, but Shelton went 9-of-16 at the free-throw line down the stretch to hold off the comeback.
MCC got 19 points apiece from Monique Horner and Felicia Washington, 14 from Brown, and 10 each from Tijwana Collins and Genice Terry.
LaTiffany Burton, whose aunt died during the first meeting of the two teams at Tuscaloosa, Ala., on Nov. 15, led Shelton with a game-high 24 points. Kelly scored 16, West tossed in 13, Latonya Henry had 11, Carol McDonald nine, and Ashlee Parker eight.
Shelton State men 83
Meridian 76
The Eagles trailed by as much as 18 points in the second half in losing their fourth-straight contest.
Shelton carried a 42-35 lead into halftime by scoring 14 of the final 21 points of the first half.
MCC, 8-9, rallied to within 51-46 with a little over 13 minutes remaining, but on their next three possessions, the Eagles threw a length of the floor pass out of bounds, turned the ball over just inside midcourt, and were whistled for a backcourt violation.
The Buccaneers went on a 10-0 run to take control at 61-46 with 11:22 to go.
Shelton's biggest lead came at 76-58 with seven minutes left.
MCC staged a late rally and got as close as 81-74 with 41.4 seconds left.
The Eagles got 27 points from Sammie Cole, 12 from Ricardo Kelly, 10 from Robert Ivy, nine from Michael Monroe, and eight from Joey Wade.
Shelton, 9-2, got 14 points apiece from Antron Moore and Jarmarr Hill, 10 from Tim Lewis, and nine from Eric Scott. The Buccaneers' two losses were to Tallahassee (Fla.) Community College and Southeastern Iowa.