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NMCC escapes with win over Delta
NEW MADRID -- The New Madrid County Central Lady Eagles have had a flair for the dramatic of late and it continued on Thursday against the Delta Lady Bobcats.
With a comfortable 10-point lead in hand and two-and-a-half minutes remaining, NMCC allowed the Lady Bobcats to rally back with a chance to tie the game on the last shot of the game.
With 6.5 seconds left, down 47-44, and Delta needing to dribble the length of the floor, an open look from 3-point range off the hands of Delta's Samantha Bartels hit high off the backboard and fell right to Rachel Bartels who, instinctively, put it right back up for two.
NMCC escaped with a 47-46 win.
"That's a big win for us," NMCC coach David Crockett said. "(Delta's) a good program. Coach (Randy) White does a phenomenal job. His girls are fundamentally sound and it's a tough match-up for us."
"I'm proud of the way they fought back," White said about his Lady Bobcats. "We have some kids that are gutty, they get after it and we never feel like we're out of a ball game. We got us a good shot there at the end with a chance to tie and that's all you can ask."
A steal and basket by NMCC sophomore Benesha Childress, who led all scorers with 28 points and 14 rebounds, made it a 45-35 game in favor of the Lady Eagles with 2:29 left in the fourth quarter.
Four consecutive buckets by Delta that included a 3-pointer by Samantha Bartels put the Lady Bobcats just one-point behind NMCC at 45-44 with 51 seconds left in regulation.
NMCC's Aquanness Johnson answered with what would eventually be the game-winning free throws with 34 seconds left.
"We made some free throws," Crockett said. "In crucial situations we hit a few and we haven't been doing that."
Delta's Tori Burton had a chance to make it a one-point game during Delta's next possession but was off the mark. A rebound and foul to NMCC sophomore Karen McGloson, who finished with 10 points and 13 rebounds, led to two missed free throws with 9.6 seconds showing on the clock.
Samantha Bartel's game-tying shot came next as NMCC ended up winning their 11th game of the season.
Playing to a tie after the first quarter, 12-12, the Lady Eagles stretched out a lead in the second quarter behind eight points from Childress. Childress scored 17 points for NMCC in the first half leading to a 22-16 halftime advantage.
"She's just a scorer," Crockett said about Childress. "She gets her hands on a lot of balls, she's athletic and sometimes that plays to a disadvantage. But, tonight, she played pretty well under control for the most part."
Burton scored 10 of her 14 total points for Delta in the third quarter spearheading the Lady Bobcats' first comeback attempt. Delta was down 35-33 heading into the fourth quarter.
Machela Van Gennip led Delta's scoring with 15 points while also pulling down seven rebounds. Samantha Bartels added 13 points and six rebounds.
| Delta | 12 | 4 | 17 | 13 | -- | 46 |
| NMCC | 12 | 10 | 13 | 12 | -- | 47 |
DELTA (46) -- Rachel Bartels 2, Machela Van Gennip 15, Macey Parks 2, Tori Burton 14, Samantha Bartels 13. FG 20, FT 5-7, F 14. (3-pointers: S. Bartels 1. Fouled out: none.)
NMCC (47) -- Brittany Johnson 2, Dallas Campbell 2, Aquanness Johnson 5, Benesha Childress 28, Karen McGloson 10. FG 18, FT 10-20, F 9. (3-pointers: Childress 1. Fouled out: none.)