#3 Chipola College too much for Lady Pirates
The Lady Pirates traveled to Mariana to face off against the Chipola College Indians on Saturday for their 4th conference game of the season.
Former NJCAA Player of the Week, Ahyiona Vason, had a great game for the Lady Pirates, coming away with 15 points as well as 3 assists and 3 steals. Xana Dove and Mylashia Yancey also provided solid offense as well as Ta’Sheanne Armstrong providing 15 points off the bench (to tie Vason for the team high).
But Chipola guard Baker-Northcross and forward Garven got hot and combined for 45 points which proved to be too much firepower for the Lady Pirates to overcome, ultimately taking down our Lady Pirates 80-66.
Even though it has been a rough start, as far as conference play goes, for the Lady Pirates they have still got a chance to end up having a memorable season. The losses the Lady Pirates have suffered in conference play have all been to great teams (including the #1 and #3 teams in the nation) and the Lady Pirates will have a chance to avenge all of them at least once. If they are successful in doing so, there is a good chance the Lady Pirates place first or second in the conference which guarantees them a bid to play in the district tournament, which in turn gives them a shot at the national championship. Pensacola State continues its season packed with highly ranked and anticipated games full of talent as the 12th ranked Lady Pirates will travel to Tallahassee to face off against the 11th ranked Eagles on Tuesday the 24th as they look to end their conference losing streak.
Chipola Squeaks Past the Pirates 69-66
The men’s team also traveled to Mariana to face off against the Indians in the latter half of Saturday’s double header.
Trailing by only four points at the half, 38-34, the Pirates were in a good position to knock off the #8 ranked team in their division. Unfortunately, Chipola’s depth was too much to handle as their bench combined for 27 points and 14 rebounds and were able to slip away with a slim three point win over the Pirates.
Much like the women’s team, the men have struggled out of the gate in conference play. Luckily both teams have had their slip ups early, as that gives our coaches time to right the ship and still take these teams to the district championships.
The Pirates will again provide the back-end of a double header this upcoming Tuesday, the 24th, as they take on the #7 team in the nation in the Tallahassee Community College Eagles. The Pirate’s come into the game having allowed the second fewest field-goals in their division which is good as both games the Eagles have lost have been due to their opponents stifling defense. This will be a game that will be a good test of what this team is capable of.
If the Pirates can come away with a win here, they will be in prime position to take the conference by storm. With the momentum they would receive from a win and the talent and coaching that is already in place, you’d have to assume they do just that and take the conference by storm. It will be no easy task but it’s shaping up to be a fun one to watch.