By: Jason Shoot - NewsHerald.com
This is the result when passion and talent meet execution.
Chipola's relentless play on both ends of the floor overwhelmed Gulf Coast throughout an 81-70 victory in a Panhandle Conference women's basketball game at the Billy Harrison Field House on Saturday night.
The Lady Indians tightened their grip on first place in the conference with a 6-0 league mark and a 21-1 record overall. GC's chances of advancing to the postseason took a big hit as the Lady Commodores fell to 2-3 in league play and 17-4 overall.
Chipola built a double-digit lead by the midway point of the first half and eventually led by as many as 24 points. GC whittled that advantage down to nine points in the final 2 1/2 minutes but couldn't overcome such a sizable deficit.
"In the first half we put ourselves in a hole, and it was hard to come back," Lady Commodores coach Vernette Skeete said. "The hole we dug really kind of hindered us."
Jessica Morton's 3-pointer a minute and a half into the second half pulled GC within 38-31 before the Lady Indians assumed control. Chipola outscored the Lady Commodores 27-10 over the next nine minutes, putting together a 17-5 spurt during that stretch to build a 65-41 lead.
A Chelsey Gibson layin capped an 8-0 run for GC to rally the Lady Commodores within 70-59 with 5 minutes left, and Dominique Powell's layin with 2 1/2 minutes to play got GC within 74-65. Chipola's Diamonisha Sophus made a 15-foot jumper and two free throws down the stretch, however, to help seal her team's victory.
"Diamonisha Sophus was out for eight games, and she's been back now for three games with us," Chipola coach Greg Franklin said. "When she gets in there we're a little more heady."
Tiffany Lewis made seven 3-pointers en route to 23 points, and Evelyn Akhator scored 19 of her team-high 25 points in the second half to preserve Chipola's advantage.
"What's important now is that we continue to do what we do," Franklin said of his team's final six games of the regular season left on the schedule. "We're not focused on winning a championship right now. That will come if we do what we need to do."
Gibson led GC with 21 points, and Morton had 15. Angeline Earl scored 10 points off the bench.
Chipola players continuously took Gulf Coast defenders off the dribble and forced the Lady Commodores to collapse defensively. That left Lewis and other Lady Indians sharpshooters wide open on the perimeter, and Lewis made six of her team's seven 3-pointers in the first half to blow the game open early.
Lewis fired in a trio of 3-pointers in a crucial 11-0 run that extended the Lady Indians' lead to 32-14 with 5:30 left in the first half.
The Lady Commodores went to work on trimming their deficit, and Angeline Earl scored seven points off the bench in just over a minute, including two 3-pointers that closed the gap to 36-26. GC went the final 3 minutes of the first half with a bucket, however, and Chipola carried a 38-26 advantage into the locker room at intermission. Brianna Wright contributed with seven points for the Lady Indians in the first half.