LSC Basketball Quick Notes
The field is set for the men’s and women’s Lone Star Conference Championship March 3-7 in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. The top four teams from each division have advanced to the LSC Championship Tournament and the postseason begins with first-round games on Wednesday, March 3. All the championship games will be aired live via internet video streaming here. The webcasts are available free of charge. Each webcast includes both video and audio, with viewers needing only a computer with a high-speed DSL or cable modem connection to the internet. Veteran broadcaster Chris Needham has the call for all the games. See page 6 for the men’s bracket and page 10 for the women’s.
Four teams claimed the regular season division titles and clinched the top seeds in the championship. On the men’s side, Central Oklahoma won it’s sixth North Division title, while Midwestern State claimed the South crown for the second straight and fourth year overall. Northeastern State won their fifth North Division title, while West Texas A&M captured the South for the fifth-straight season and seventh time overall.
The LSC men have a 208-167 overall record so far this season, including a 109-79 mark in the South Division and 99-88 in the North. In league crossover play the South has the advantage, 27-22. In the NCAA South Central Region, the men’s teams are currently 24-11 combined versus Heartland Conference teams and 3-2 against the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA).
The LSC women are 219-186 overall, with a 112-77 mark in the South and 107-109 in the North this season. In league crossover action, the South Division holds a 38-18 record over its North opponents. In the NCAA South Central Region, the women’s teams are currently 26-11 combined versus Heartland Conference squads and 5-4 against the MIAA.
In men’s games played last week, the LSC had two players score more than 30 points, 16 over the 20-point mark and 10 double-digit rebounders, while seven recorded double-doubles.
Points, Men: 31, LaMarshall Corbett, ASU vs MSU
Rebounds, Men: 16, Jason Jones, NSU vs CU
Assists, Men: 12, Dauntae Williams, UCO vs ECU
Steals, Men: 7, Dauntae Williams, UCO at SE
On the women’s side, the league had two players over the 30-point mark, 15 with more than 20 points and 16 double-digit rebounders, while 13 posted double-doubles in action last week. Top performances included:
Points, Women: 35, Camille Perkins, ASU vs MSU
Rebounds, Women: 23, Destiny Brown, SE vs UCO
Assists, Women: 10, Two players
Steals, Women: 7, Cristina Yarbrough, UCO vs SE
Players of the Week
NORTH MEN’S OFFENSIVE
Damian Henderson, Southwestern Oklahoma, Sr., F, Texarkana, Texas/Texarkana HS
Henderson averaged 20.0 points and 6.0 rebounds to help Southwestern Oklahoma to a 1-1 week that included a loss to Texas A&M-Commerce and a home win against Northeastern State. Henderson had 18 points in the 77-70 win over Northeastern that allowed the Bulldogs to secure the No. 4 spot in the LSC’s North Division and qualify for the conference tournament.
NORTH MEN’S DEFENSIVE
Preston Whitley, Texas A&M-Commerce, Fr., Forward, Frisco, Texas/Wakeland HS
Whitley’s inside presence helped hold Cameron to just 26.4% shooting from the field. The lowest effort by an A&M-Commerce opponent since Midwestern State on January 29, 2004. Against Cameron, Whitley and the Lions outrebounded Cameron by 23. Against the Aggies, he had a team-best 11 rebounds.
SOUTH MEN’S OFFENSIVE
Craig Green, Midwestern State, Sr., Guard, Keller, Texas, Keller HS
Green poured in eight of his team-high 27 points to lift No. 7 Midwestern State to a 105-100 overtime win over Angelo State Wednesday night at D.L. Ligon Coliseum as the Mustangs earned their second-straight outright South Division title. Green knocked the ball away from Angelo State and scrambled headlong into the Rams’ bench to save the ball into a teammate. His energy and perseverance to hit 6-of-6 from the charity stripe down the stretch after the Mustangs had hit just 65.7 percent their free throws in regulation. The senior from Keller went over the 20-point barrier for the fourth-straight game and is second in the LSC South with 17.8 points per game during divisional play for the defending Lone Star Conference champions.
SOUTH MEN’S DEFENSIVE
Jacquiese Holcombe, West Texas A&M, Jr., Guard, College Park, Ga./Creekside
Holcombe grabbed 16 rebounds and had three blocks, to play an integral role in WT holding its two opponents to just 40.0 shooting and 63.5 points over two outings last week. Against Abilene Christian, the Buffs held ACU to just 32.8 percent from the floor, the second-lowest opponents total they have allowed this season.
NORTH WOMEN’S OFFENSIVE
Jessica Durr, Texas Woman’s, Sr., G, Plano, Texas/Plano
Durr averaged a double-double with 15.5 points and 13.5 rebounds to lead the team to two wins last week and helped the Pioneers post most wins (9) in the conference in school history. She also became the eighth player in school history to record 1,000 career points. Durr recorded 12 points, 14 rebounds and three steals in come from behind (17 points) win against Southeastern Oklahoma and then added 19 points and 13 rebounds at East Central. In four years at TWU Durr recorded 1,001 career points, 544 rebounds and 149 steals.
NORTH WOMEN’S DEFENSIVE
Cristina Yarbrough, Central Oklahoma, Sr., Guard, Edmond, Okla./Santa Fe
Yarbrough sparked UCO’s defense in a pair of regular season-ending wins as the Bronchos clinched a runner-up finish in the North Division. The senior guard averaged 6.0 steals in wins over East Central and Southeastern Oklahoma while adding 14.0 points, 9.0 assists and 3.0 rebounds, with UCO holding those two teams to 33.1-percent shooting from the field. Yarbrough had five steals in a 96-46 rout of ECU, then made a career-high seven in a 101-97 overtime win at SOSU, including a key steal and driving layup late in regulation to help force OT.
SOUTH WOMEN’S OFFENSIVE
Jamie Meyer, Abilene Christian, Sr., Forward, Round Rock, Texas/Round Rock HS
Meyer led the Wildcats back from the brink of elimination from the LSC Championship with two solid games, including a 20-point output Saturday in the Wildcats’ 78-72 win at No. 6 West Texas A&M. ... In two Wildcat wins last week, Meyer averaged 19.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per contest as the LSC South Division Pre-Season Player of the Year helped ACU finish 7-5 and third in the division. ... In last Tuesday’s win over Eastern New Mexico, Meyer scored 19 points and pulled down 10 rebounds, and then had 20 points and three rebounds in Saturday win at West Texas A&M.
SOUTH WOMEN’S DEFENSIVE
Shelby Adamson, Tarleton State, So., Guard, Rockwall, Texas/Rockwall
Adamson was mostly responsible in guarding Angelo State’s leading scorer on Saturday and held the Rambelle’s leading scorer to just nine points (four points from the field) on 2-of-9 shooting. The sophomore tallied four steals and three defensive rebounds and guided the TexAnns to a 69-42 win, giving Tarleton 22 wins for the first time since 1991-92 (30 wins).
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Tarleton win streaked snapped by hot-shooting Angelo State
By BRAD KEITH
Sports Editor
brad.keith@empiretribune.com
SAN ANGELO - Five Angelo State (17-10, 8-4) players scored in double figures and the Rams hit 54.5 percent from the arc and 84.8 percent from the free throw stripe to upset Tarleton State (21-6, 9-3) 90-81 in the Lone Star Conference South Division finale for both teams at Stephens Arena Saturday night.
Both teams are headed to next week's Lone Star Conference Championship tournament in Bartlesville, Okla., Tarleton as the No. 2 seed and ASU as the No. 3 seed from the South.
The tournament begins Wednesday with the Rams facing Northeastern State at noon and the Texans battling Texas A&M-Commerce at 6 p.m.
Williams scored 19 points in the first half and doubled his season average by night's end. The Rams also picked up 18 points from Chris Ellis, who entered the game averaging just five per game.
Other ASU players in double figures were LaMarshal Corbett and Derrick Webster with 12 each and Johnny Barnes with 11.
Tarleton, which had its four-game win streak snapped, allowed 90 or more points for the first time since a 104-88 loss to East Central on Dec. 12.
"They just outplayed us. They're kids were more hungry than ours," Tarleton State head coach Lonn Reisman said. "Our defense was very poor. I thought we looked very complacent tonight."
The loss could hurt Tarleton in the South Central Region rankings. The Texans were No. 6 in this week's poll.
"This is a gut check," Reisman said. "All we are guaranteed now is one game at the conference tournament, and we have to go back and get ready for that one game and play it with a lot more intensity than we showed (Saturday)."
The Texans did receive a pair of strong efforts on the offensive end from Effran Bryant and Devon Hills. Bryant hit six 3-point bombs and matched his career high of 23 points while Hills scored 19.
Other Tarleton players in double figures were Donta Smith with 16 points to go with eight rebounds and Wale Ogunoye with 10 points.
ASU led 38-36 at halftime, and the advantage remained between two and seven points until Williams drained a 3-pointer to make it 51-41 with 14:15 left.
Tarleton answered with five quick points, but Angelo was quick to push the advantage back to seven on a 3-ball by Corbett and nine on a layup by Webster.
A layup by Barnes finally made it a double-digit ASU lead at 69-59 with 6:53 left and the Texans got no closer than six the rest of the way.
ASU finally stretched its advantage to as many as 12 on three occasions in the closing moments.
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By BRAD KEITH
Sports Editor
brad.keith@empiretribune.com
SAN ANGELO - Tarleton State's post players dominated the second half and the No. 25 TexAnns (22-5, 9-3) overcame a six-point halftime deficit to finish Lone Star Conference South Division play with a 62-49 win against Angelo State (12-14, 5-7) at Stephens Arena Saturday night.
Tarleton, ranked fifth in the South Central Region, was already assured of a second place finish in the South and a trip to next week's LSC Championship tournament in Bartlesville, Okla. The TexAnns face Texas Woman's in the opening round at noon Thursday.
The loss ended Angelo State's season as the Rambelles dropped to fifth place in the South.
Kelsey Benford was 6-8 shooting and scored 12 points in just 17 minutes off the bench. She had 10 points in the second half when Tarleton outscored the Rambelles 36-17.
Brittnie Haley had 11 points and eight rebounds for the TexAnns, whose other primary post player, JoAnne Jones, scored nine points.
"Our post players stepped up big in the second half," said Tarleton coach Ronnie Hearne, who is enjoying his first 20-win season at the helm of the TexAnns' program.
Tarleton was led by Shelby Adamson with 15 points and seven assists.
"What can you say about Shelby?" Hearne asked rhetorically. "There's not many players in the country who can take the ball to the basket and finish like she can."
Tarleton fell behind 27-14 after a 14-2 run by Angelo State that included 10 unanswered points.
But the TexAnns responded, outscoring the Rambelles 12-5 in the final moments of the opening half.
"We were down 13 points and cut it to six at the half and that was one of the biggest keys to the game," Hearne said. "Things were pretty positive in the locker room at halftime. We just made a few adjustments and they worked."
Tarleton came sprinting out of the blocks in the second half, scoring the first 10 points for a 36-32 lead. Haley had six points during the run.
ASU responded by scoring six of the next eight points to tie the score at 38-38, but Tarleton went right back to work, scoring 10 of the next 14 to seize control.
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