ECCC falters in tourney opener
By By Marty Stamper / EMG sports assistant
March 17, 2004
SALINA, Kan. Every time the East Central Community College Lady Warriors hit the Three Rivers (Mo.) Community College Lady Raiders Tuesday afternoon, the Missouri girls hit back just a little harder.
Three Rivers scored 15 of the game's final 23 points to take a 76-64 win.
Jessica Wilson, a 5-foot-6 sophomore guard from Three Rivers' hometown of Poplar Bluff, landed the knockout blows as she scored 13 straight points in the final 3:03. In the stretch, Wilson was 8-of-8 at the free-throw line and hit two baskets, including a three-pointer.
ECCC was only down 61-56 when Wilson took over the game.
Wilson finished with a game-high 23 points, including a 12-of-12 effort at the free-throw line.
The 29-3 Lady Warriors, who had a 22-game win streak snapped, never stayed in sync for any extended period of time. ECCC finished with 17 turnovers and was outrebounded 44-35.
ECCC shot 39.7 percent (25-of-63) from the floor and only 46.7 percent (7-of-15) from the free-throw line.
ECCC scored the game's first four points, only to have Three Rivers tally the next seven.
ECCC trailed by as many as six points in the first half before Kristin Chaney tied the game at 23 with a three-point play with 6:53 to go in the half.
The teams swapped the lead 10 times over a four-minute span before Three Rivers closed the half with a 5-0 run to carry a 40-36 lead into halftime.
A three-point play by Chaney with 16:46 left gave the Lady Warriors a 44-42 lead.
Leading 46-44 on a pair of Kotreece Bender free throws with 15 minutes to go, the Lady Warriors failed to add to their lead on two straight possessions.
Wilson buried a trey with 13:25 left for a 49-46 Three Rivers' lead, and ECCC never caught the Lady Raiders again.
ECCC got 16 points from Chaney, 13 from Rita Birden, nine from Bender, eight from Kim Cox, seven from Kimyatta Viverette, and five from Lenore Gray. Cox and Gray both had seven rebounds, while Viverette had six and Bender had five to go with four assists. Viverette had eight blocks.
Three Rivers had a good scouting report on ECCC, thanks to Itawamba Community College, according to Wilson.
In addition to Wilson's 23 points, Three Rivers (27-5) also got 17 points from Ashley Williams, 11 from Emmerentia Ledwaba, and eight each from Nicole Rivers and Victoria Richards.
ECCC returns to action Thursday at 10 a.m. against 24-9 Lake Region (N.D.) State College, an 87-54 loser to Gulf Coast (Fla.) Community College.
