From Staff Reports
FREDERICK — The unbeaten Allegany College of Maryland women’s basketball team will be taking the school-record winning streak to Illinois for the NJCAA Division II National Tournament after coming from behind to beat Cecil College, 59-54, for the Region XX Tournament championship Sunday at Frederick Community College.
Coach Garett Sherman’s team entered the Region XX Tournament ranked No. 18 in the final Division I poll and are one of two remaining unbeaten teams in the division with a 28-0 record. The Trojans tied the school record for consecutive wins at 25 held by last year’s team two weeks ago when they repeated as Maryland JUCO Tournament champion.
Sophomore guard/forward Lisa Byer finished with 16 points to lead four Allegany players in double figures. Jacqualyn Simon had 11 points, while Melissa Ford and Johntae McCoy had 10 each.
Ford also hauled down 12 rebounds for a double-double and was named the Tournament Most Valuable Player. The 5-foot-9 forward from Clinton was held scoreless in the first half before helping the Allegany comeback.
Byer, 5-10 sophomore from Johnstown, Pa., hit three big three-pointers in the second half en route to her 16 points and was named to the All-Tournament team. McCoy dished out six assists and sophomore center Shannon Washington had 12 rebounds.
Cecil was led by Donia Naylor with 15 points, while Kaeisha Parks and Ashley Jones had 13 each. The Seahawks, who upset second-seeded Potomac State, 76-53, in the quarterfinals on Friday, finish with a 16-10 record.
Allegany, which beat Cecil 73-65 during the regular season, got off to cold shooting start and was down 16-2 after the first 10 minutes. Simon then came in to provide a spark and scored the next seven points. Picking up the defense the Trojans had the margin down to four points (25-21) at the half.
Byer then got the hot hand from long range and had her three three-pointers and 12 straight points for the Trojans. Ford, who averages 23 points a game, started to get some shots to fall.
“We started off hesitant and nervous,” said Sherman, who is in his first year as a head coach. “We then played with a lot of heart and got into the game. Once the nerves were gone, we were fine.”
The National Tournament will be staged March 18-21 at Illinois Central College in East Peoria. Allegany will be making its third appearance and the first since 1993 when coach Linda Mellon’s team finished third. The Trojans had a 32-3 record that year for the school record for most wins in a season. The first region title and trip to the National Tournament was in the 1985-86 season.
