VERONICA DAVIS – The Corsair
The Pensacola State Lady Pirates proved once again that they can’t be stopped with another big win over Northwest Florida State College in the finals of the FCCAA state basketball tournament Saturday night. Struggling for a lead in the beginning, the Lady Pirates stepped up their intensity on defense and finished strong in the second half with a ending score 69-60.
Northwest Florida State College led by as much as 20 points in the first half, but the Lady Pirates came back and led by 1 point going in to half-time. Despite her shoulder injury from the previous game, Lady Pirates’ star player Jessica Merritt, who was also named tournament MVP after tonight’s game, led in scoring with 19 points.
Other players who had double digit scores were Meghan Perkins and Karneshia Garrett, with 12 points apiece.
“Our intensity made the difference in the second half. We always seem to play harder when we’re down, because we don’t want to lose,” Merritt said.
Coach Chanda Rigby was named tournament coach of the year and Perkins was named FCCAA player of the year.
The Lady Pirates will advance to the NJCAA National Tournament which will take place March 15-19 in Salina, Kansas.
“We won’t try anything new,” Rigby said. “We will just rest, heal up and try to get better at what we do.”