Lady Indians go 3-0 at Classic

By: Dustin Kent - JCFloridan.com

The No. 4 Chipola Lady Indians concluded a 3-0 weekend at the Girls Basketball Report Classic in Marianna on Saturday with a dominant 86-40 victory over Broward.

Chipola opened Thursday with a 93-34 victory over Eastern Florida State before facing its only real challenge of the weekend Friday against South Georgia Tech, using a 21-4 run over the final seven minutes to win 68-45.

There wasn't nearly as much resistance Saturday, with the Lady Indians cruising to the easy victory to improve to 3-0 to start the year.

Evelyn Akhator continued her dominant play at both ends of the court with 14 points, 11 rebounds, five steals, and four blocked shots for Chipola, while Brianna Wright had 13 points, Rahni Bell 12, and Tiffany Lewis 10.

Lady Indians coach Greg Franklin said he thought his team was a little sluggish at the start Saturday, but quickly put it together and finished the week out strong.

"It was the third day of a three-day classic and we looked a little fatigued, especially after a tough game the night before," he said. "We came out a little fatigued, but we fought through it and played really well in the second half."

Three games in three straight nights is a tough way to start a season, but the coach said his team gained a lot from the weekend's action.

"I thought we found ourselves a little bit. Some players were starting to find their niche, especially in the second half against South Georgia Tech," Franklin said. "Evelyn showed up big and we ran some things through her and Brianna a little bit in that second half where we were throwing it in and they were kicking it out to shooters or they were just getting it and scoring.

"I thought we found ourselves offensively a little bit in that second half. We hunkered down and executed well against a good defensive team and that helped us grow a little bit. The ball movement was really good in that second half all the way through the Broward game."

Chipola was limited to just 24 points in the first half against South Georgia Tech and trailed by two points at the break before nearly doubling that output in the second half with 42.

Franklin said it was good to see his players get challenged that way this early in the season.

"I was happy with that. I was pleased with the way we answered the bell. We didn't try to answer it individually; we came in and played excellent basketball in the second half in terms of defending and deferring," he said. "One thing I'm talking about with our team is that there are two things that will help us win a championship: defending the basket and making the extra pass. We've got so many players who can score that it makes us tough to scout when we share the basketball."

Chipola has had good balance so far with five different players averaging eight or more points per game, but it was Akhator who had the brightest debut on the weekend, averaging 16.3 points to go with 13.3 rebounds, three steals, and 2.7 blocks per game.

Even though she's leading the team in scoring, Franklin said what has impressed him the most about the 6-foot-2 freshman is her ability to impact the game even without scoring.

"She doesn't have to have the ball in her hands to be dominant," he said. "I've never seen a kid go up for rebounds like she does. She tracks the basketball so well. It doesn't have to come to her; she goes and gets them and that's a great skill to have. She's finding herself a little bit more on the low block and learning to take her time, be patient, and keep her balance."

Chipola will next head to Jacksonville on Friday and Saturday to take on Indian River and Florida State College.