Lady Cardinals fall short in National Championship bid
(Travis Tapley Photo)
By Benny Rogers/TVCC Sports Information
The Trinity Valley Community College Lady Cardinals came up short in their bid for a ninth NJCAA championship Saturday afternoon, falling 67-60 to the Northwest Florida State Raiders at Rip Griffin Center on the campus of Lubbock Christian University.
Turnovers were the downfall of the Lady Cardinals. They committed 20, several of which were in key moments, especially in the fourth quarter. Northwest Florida State scored 21 points off the miscues.
After leading 38-32 at the half on the strength of a closing 9-0 run, the Lady Cardinals scored just 22 points in the second half and were outscored 16-9 in the fourth quarter.
With 4:24 left in the game, the Raiders went up 60-55 on a Masengo Mutanda three-pointer. But the Lady Cardinals came soaring back, getting a Mailyn Wilkerson three-pointer and Taiyanna Jackson shot from underneath to tie the score 60-60 with 1:45 remaining.
After Last-Tear Poa hit two free throws for Northwest Florida State for a 62-60 lead at the 1:05 mark, the Lady Cardinals turned the ball over. Then came the back-breaker.
As the shot clock expired on the Raiders’ ensuing possession, Chanaya Pinto dropped in a forced and off-balanced three-pointer. That put the Raiders up 65-60.
The Lady Cards, after using a timeout, turned the ball over and that was all she wrote.
Mahoganie Willams, an all-tournament selection along with Wilkerson, staked the Lady Cardinals to a good start. She finished with a team-high14 points.
The Lady Cardinals led 21-15 after one quarter.
Midway through the second quarter, the Raiders erased a 25-20 Lady Cardinal lead with a 12-7 advantage over a two-minute stretch. But the Lady Cardinals finished with a flurry, ignited by a Wilkerson three-pointer.
The score was tied 51-51 after three quarters.
Northwest Florida State was led by Poa with 20. Pinto finished with 17.
Wilkerson (11), Kaye Clark (10) and Jackson (10) joined Williams in double figures for the Lady Cardinals.
The Lady Cardinals closed the year 22-3. Northwest Florida State, with its first national title, was 24-2.
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