ECCC wins in Region 23 Tourney

By By Marty Stamper / EMG sports assistant
March 2, 2004
CLINTON If defense wins championships, the East Central Community College Lady Warriors may do some more celebrating this week.
The Lady Warriors trimmed the number of wins they need to qualify for the national tournament to two with a 66-53 victory over Mississippi Delta in the first round of the Region 23 Tournament Monday night at Mississippi College.
The dream game many have looked forward to all season will take place Wednesday at 2:15 p.m. when ECCC, ranked 17th nationally, takes on sixth-ranked Northeast Mississippi in the A.E. Wood Coliseum.
Northeast, 20-3, snapped a two-game losing streak with a 96-87 win over Gulf Coast on Monday.
In winning the MACJC State Tournament last week at Booneville, ECCC outscored its three opponents 72.3 to 61.7. The Lady Warriors held the Lady Trojans nearly nine points under that average Monday with only a 7-0 Delta run to end the game making matters that close.
Offensively, ECCC used a 21-7 run midway through the first half to turn a 10-9 deficit into a 30-17 lead with five minutes remaining in the first half. Kimyatta Viverette and Kotreece Bender converted back-to-back three-point plays early in the run as the Lady Warriors began to distance themselves from Delta.
Before the run ended, Rita Birden hit two baskets and a pair of free throws, India Backstrom scored twice from close range, and Kristin Chaney buried a 3-pointer.
ECCC led by as many as 14 points before taking a 38-27 lead into the break.
Delta got the first basket of the second half, but Bender canned a trey and Lenore Gray scored in the lane to up ECCC's lead to 43-29 with 17:38 remaining.
Delta again got to within nine points on a 3-pointer from Camille Norwood with 15:13 to go, but the Lady Warriors kept the Lady Trojans off the scoreboard for the next four minutes and six seconds as they upped their lead to 53-36.
Delta could get no closer than 11 points after that.
ECCC took its biggest lead at 66-46 on a basket by Viverette. Delta scored seven unanswered points in the final 1:11.
ECCC got 13 points from Gray, 11 from Chaney, nine each from Viverette, Bender, and Birden, and seven from Backstrom. Nine Lady Warriors scored. Viverette also had six rebounds and three blocks. Gray had nine rebounds and Birden had seven.
Delta, 16-10, got 14 points from Lawanda Stewart, eight each from Vancherrika Mitchell and La'Tisha Brown, and seven from Jazmine Cain.
Wednesday's other semifinal will have Northwest Mississippi, 18-7, taking on the Copiah-Lincoln/Delgado winner at 12:30 p.m. Northwest eliminated Jones, 69-60.