Holding a lead wasn’t the easiest thing for the Southwest Mississippi Community College basketball teams in their openers of the Cardiovascular Institute of Mississippi Classic on Monday night.
The women’s team lost a 13-point second-half lead and had to win in overtime 91-87, while the men had their 21-point lead slashed to two before pulling out a 111-106 win.
For the women, an eight-point deficit at the half was erased almost in the blink of an eye as the Bears scored the opening nine points of the half and kept increasing their lead. Kidra Chatman hit a 3-pointer to make it 69-57 and Whitley Wiltz put back a shot for a 71-58 lead, but that was Southwest’s peak of the night.
“The craziest thing in the game was we were down eight at half and didn’t miss to open up the half,” Southwest women’s head coach Mark Swindle said.
The Bears weren’t able to stay collected. The Rangers took advantage as the turnovers piled up. A three-point play and three 3-pointers down the stretch made sure Southwest didn’t hold on to its advantage.
“We dribbled when we should have passed and we passed when we should have dribbled,” Swindle said.
Ashley Wilson hit one of those 3-pointers with 1:19 left in the second half. On the next Southwest possession, Wilson stole the ball and after it glanced off a Southwest player’s foot, the inbound pass found Wilson and she found the bottom of the net again to give Northwest its first lead since the start of the half at 78-77.
Kimberly Griffin put in one foul shot to tie the game before Whitley Wiltz blocked the final Ranger attempt to force overtime.
Griffin finished the game with 20 points and nine rebounds before exiting after being landed on diving for a loose ball.
After swapping buckets to open overtime, Wilson was called for a technical after her reaction to a foul call and Phenicia Taylor put in one of the free throws. Hope Swindle nailed a 3-pointer from the corner to put the Bears up 85-80 on the ensuing possession and the Rangers never closed to within four points the rest of the way.
SOUTHWEST 111, NORTHWEST 106
The men’s team took the opposite route and jumped out on top of Northwest with a stellar first half. Aubrey Coleman scored 17 points in the first half and the Bears led by those 17 at halftime.
Thomas Ricard scored on two alley-oops as Southwest ran up and down the floor. Terencio Powell hit three 3-pointers, and freshman Otis Smith added two in the opening half.
For all the up-and-down in the first half, the Bears weren’t able to control the game as well in the second.
“They picked up the defense in the second half, and we’ve got to be better on offense,” Southwest head men’s coach Bill Wallace said. “Thank goodness for a nice lead.”
The Bears shots didn’t fall as well once the Rangers were getting stops, and with the 30 fouls Northwest committed the flow was constantly interrupted by the whistle.
Northwest’s Kevin Harris found his stroke and about made the Bears pay for a bout of turnovers down the stretch. Harris hit eight 3-pointers in the game, including six in the second half.
Harris hit a trey on three straight Ranger possession in the final two minutes to get the game down to a two-point affair at 107-105.
Southwest’s Herrick Ward hit two free throws before Harris was fouled on a 3-point attempt.
Harris only made one of his three shots and Ward made two of his four free throws in the final 10 seconds to start the season with a win.
“We’re good in transition, but we don’t have a half-court game,” Wallace said. “It’s like the country song — we don’t know when to hold ’em and when to fold ’em.”
The Bears weren’t able to hold the ball in the offensive set, but they didn’t fold down the stretch, either.
Both Southwest teams will be back in action this afternoon against Mississippi Delta at 5 and 7 p.m. Mississippi Delta lost both its games Monday to the Pensacola Junior College women, who won 69-60, and the Lee College men, who won 62-54.
