AC Advances to Conference Tournament Semifinals
The Angelina College Lady Roadrunners had all the makings of a “one and done” team in the Region XIV Conference Tournament. With only seven players available for action – meaning there would only be two coming off the bench – AC’s ladies faced the higher-seeded (No. 3) Tyler Junior College Lady Apaches in Wednesday’s opening round.
But in a frenetic finish, the Lady ‘Runners pulled off the biggest upset of the tournament thus far.
With the game tied at 62-62 and fewer than 10 seconds to play, AC’s Aaleyah Jones came up with a steal and headed up the floor, drawing a shooting foul with 2.5 seconds remaining in the game. Jones sank a free throw, and a Tyler desperation shot bounced off the rim, setting up a midcourt celebration and sending the Lady Roadrunners into Friday’s semifinal round.
Jakayla Parks led the Lady Roadrunners with 16 points and 14 rebounds. Sumaiyah Abdur-Rahim added 14 points, and Zaraya March – who played all but six seconds of the game – added 13 points. Michelle Smith finished the game with 12 points and seven steals.
Those steals were a big part of the AC win. The Lady Roadrunners collected 15 swipes, forced 22 Lady Apache turnovers and converted those into 26 points.
AC’s willingness to bang the boards also paid off, with the Lady Roadrunners scoring 14 second-chance points off 25 offensive rebounds.
Tyler’s Tia Morgan led the Apaches with 17 points, including a pair of buzzer beaters to end two of the quarters played.
The Lady Roadrunners next will face No. 2 seed Trinity Valley Community College at 3 p.m. on Friday in the women’s semifinals.
The email address for AC’s Sports Information Director is gstallard@angelina.edu.
