The win gives the Lady Archers a day off, with their next game scheduled for Friday at 11 a.m. against Owens Community College.
By: Spencer Gleason
Sports Editor
After being eliminated in the second round of the 2012 National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Tournament by the Chesapeake Skipjacks, 60-54, the STLCC Lady Archers again faced the Skipjacks in this year’s tournament. This time, however, the outcome would be different.
After coming up winless in 2011 and 2012 in the NJCAA Tournament, Head Coach Shelly Ethridge and Assistant Coach Melanie Marcy were able to get the monkey off of their back as the Lady Archers defeated the Skipjacks, 77-67, in the second round of the double elimination tournament. Losing their first game, 63-43, to Illinois Central College, the Lady Archers fell to the Consolation Bracket. With their win yesterday STLCC is now on pace for a seventh or eighth place finish.
“[I’m] elated. I’m so happy for these kids,” Ethridge said. “All season they’ve been defying all odds. They wanted to be the first team in three years to come up here and actually win a game and not come up empty handed. To do that with only nine kids on our squad is just phenomenal.”
The Lady Archers got off to a 6-0 start, but the Skipjacks evened the game with back-to-back threes. Falling behind at the half, 37-33, the 2012-13 Lady Archers did not let the season slip by without putting their mark in the Lady Archer history books — a 77-67 win in the NJCAA Tournament.
Freshman guards Kalah Martin (26) and Chanese Washington (17), along with sophomore forward Lauren Maclin (17) all scored double digits. Maclin also led the team in blocked shots, blocking four shots of Chesapeake shooters.
The win gives the Lady Archers a day off, with their next game scheduled for Friday at 11 a.m. against Owens Community College. Owens, who took the No. 7 seed in the NJCAA Tournament, was upset in the first round by No. 10 Community College of Rhode Island. The Lady Archers are seeded 14.
“We’ll still practice. We’ll get prepared,” Ethridge said about their day off. “We’ll have our practice [at 1 p.m.]. We’ll probably watch a few more games and get the kids off of their legs a little bit and get ready for Friday.”
Regardless of the outcome on Friday, Ethridge said she is proud of her team.
“Words cannot describe how proud I am of these kids. For them to keep doing what they’ve been able to do this season is just blowing my mind. They’re just overachievers and they don’t quit,” Ethridge said. “They don’t give up, they’ve got each other’s back and they all get along on and off the floor. I don’t want it to end. They are such great kids. We’ve got such great character and they are representing our program and our school very, very well.”
