Wilson stars in a tight game
By: DJ McGuire
Sports Editor
On Feb. 4, 2017, the St. Louis Community College Lady Archers defeated the North Central Missouri College Pirates 75-73.
The game was close for the majority of the game, especially near the end, where the game came right down to the final minute of play.
The Archers led 11-4 at about halfway through the first quarter.
The Archers had several key plays.
Alfreda Roberts, No. 22 sophomore forward, made a diving save.
Erika Harvey, No. 11 sophomore guard finished with seven points and six rebounds after a block.
The Archers finished the quarter with a buzzer beater from No. 12 sophomore guard Shamiah Oliver who had a stat line of 20 points, five rebounds and four assists.
At the end of the first quarter the Archers led the Pirates 20-9.
In the second quarter, freshman forward No. 21 Chrishana Wilson, who had a stat line of 28 points and 23 rebounds, started to take over in the low post.
Wilson, when passed the ball in the low post, found herself scoring or drawing a foul leading to the free throw line.
Wilson attributed her success to her guards feeding her the ball and giving her opportunities to score.
Head Coach Shelly Ethridge said she was very proud of Wilson’s performance.
“She was part of our game plan; we had to utilize our bigs and our high-low offense,” Ethridge said.
However, in the second quarter the Pirates started to mount a comeback.
“We relaxed, we got a good lead and then I felt like we got comfortable,” Ethridge said.
“We let them back in and gave them some confidence.” At the half the Pirates had cut the lead to five points, with the Archers leading 34-29.
When the second half began the Pirates used their gaining momentum to take lead with eight minutes to go in the third quarter.
Both teams then fought back and forth, with numerous lead changes and ties throughout the rest of the game.
The Archers took back the lead and led the Pirates 57-53 at the end of the third quarter.
Both teams held the lead multiple times in the final minute of play.
In total there were four lead changes in the final minute.
Wilson scored the final five points and hit several free throws to seal the victory for the Archers.
Wilson said that she kept her focus at the line and knew she had to make them in order for her team to win.
“We knew Chris needed a big day for us and she did, those rebounds at the end and her free throws were critical,” Ethridge said.
Elisha Davis, number 3 freshman point guard, who scored 13 points and had four assists, said the team knew they had to keep defense up, check the number of turnovers and have free throws.
The Archers did exactly that and the final score was 75-73 in favor of the Archers.
“Both teams played hard, we both played aggressively; we’ve been working hard the whole week to face this tough team,” Davis said.
Coach Ethridge said she was very proud of her team’s performance and how far they have come this season.
“We’re starting to play together; we’re a unit, a team, a family and that really shows on and off the court,” Ethridge said.
Davis agrees with her coach.
“We’re getting better and better as it goes along,” Davis said.
According to Davis, as the regular season nears its end, the team looks forward to the postseason and aims to repeat as regional championships.
Ethridge said she believes they have the talent to accomplish their goal, but they will need some help.
“Stay healthy and have a little luck to win it all,” Ethridge said.
