by Geoff Roberts/Owens Sports Information
Circleville, Ohio---The No. 5 Owens Community College women's basketball team weathered a hard-fought first half and controlled the second half to pick up an 81-46 Region XII District I semifinal win against Edison Community College.
The Express were led by the tandem of Kamilah Carter (Pioneer/Ann Arbor, Mich.) and Eboni Adams (Maple Heights/Cleveland, Ohio) with 13 points each. The two sophomores had an almost identical line as both players were 6-for-14 from the field with 1-for-3 three-point shooting and only one turnover each. Adams added seven rebounds, six assists (tying her season-high) and three steals while Carter finished with three rebounds, three assists and a steal.
The Express went on an 11-2 run to start the game, punctuated by an Adams three. Edison kept battling though and was able to cut the deficit to four points twice in the half. The second time that Edison cut the Express lead to four was after a Brooke Richards jumper that made it 25-21.
After about two and a half minutes of no scoring, the Express closed the half in strong fashion beginning with a Paige Wright (Northrop/Fort Wayne, Ind.) lay-up at the 2:46 mark. The Express closed the half with a 7-2 run and carried a 32-23 lead into the break.
Edison opened the half with early attempts at points but ultimately couldn't get the ball to fall their way around the basket and missed three quick jump shots in a row. This gave the Express an opportunity to grab control of the game.
After the early attempts by the Chargers, the closest they would come to the Express was 11 after Richards sank two free throws at the 18:32 mark.
Owens shot 34-for-75 (45.3 percent) from the field with a 10-for-25 (40 percent) mark from beyond the arc. The Express also took care of the ball with only nine turnovers compared to the Chargers' 21.
Wright had a strong game for the Express as well, shooting 3-for-8 from the field with 2-for-4 three point shooting to contribute 11 points on the day. She added five rebounds, five assists, a steal and a block.
Maura Hackney (Edgewood/Middletown, Ohio) led all bench players with ten points powered by two 3-pointers from the right side corner late in the second half. Hackney also contributed five rebounds, a steal and a block.
Kheri Motley (West Bloomfield, West Bloomfield, Ohio) helped the Express with nine points, a team-high eight rebounds, one assist and one steal.
Imani Vickers (Mansfield Senior/Mansfield, Ohio) was able to get some time late in the game and netted nine points on four-for-five shooting from the field, along with three assists and a rebound.
Across the center line, Edison got a few strong performances as well with three players registering double-digits. Chris Johnson led the way for Edison with 12 points. She shot only 3-for-12 from the field but was 6-for-10 from the foul line, while adding seven rebounds. Tori Purk added 11 points, seven rebounds, and two steals.
The Express were able to hold Brooke Richards to a season-low six points. It was the first game this year in which Richards has posted less than 10 points and was one point off her career low. Richards scored 23 points each on Jan. 29 and Feb. 19 against the Express.
The Express will play No. 17 Cincinnati State Technical and Community College (19-10) for the Region XII District I Championship Sat. at 2 p.m. The Surge were able to survive a late scare by the Columbus State Community College Cougars to get the 80-75 victory on Friday afternoon.
The game will be a rematch of the 2012-13 Region XII Championship in which the Express defeated Cincinnati State 69-65 to move on to the NJCAA Division II National Tournament.
Notes
Motley's eight rebounds ties her career-high set on Feb. 1 in a 73-67 loss to Columbus State.
Adams' six assists tie her season-high set on Jan. 15 in an 87-51 win against Cuyahoga Community College.
Carter's 13 points give her 539 on the campaign, which puts her sixth on the Owens all-time single-season scoring list. She passed Dawn Spencer (526, 1996-97) and Aja Hall (538, 2011-12) with her effort today.