The Angelina College Lady Roadrunners hit 11 three
pointers in Saturday’s game with Kilgore, but none of the first ten
was bigger than the last one.
Desiree Waller nailed a three ball from the corner with :03 to play,
lifting AC to another last-second thriller of a win, 74-71 over the
Kilgore Lady Rangers.
Waller’s big shot came after Lady Ranger Adonna Weaver put back her
own miss with 14 seconds to play. Rather than calling a timeout to set
up a play, AC coach Byron Coleman let the scene unfold: With Camille
Parks – who had already nailed four treys herself – dribbling to the
top of the key, Waller worked her way open in the left corner, took
the assist from Parks and drained the game winner.
“I don’t like to call timeouts in that situation,” Coleman said. “I
think it’s harder for the defense to adjust than the offense. We
practice our break every day, so we know what to do in that situation.
It’s just a matter of the kids going out and executing.”
Waller finished with 14 points, with four of those coming via the long
ball. Parks led the Lady Roadrunners with 16 points, Cassandra Johnson
added 15 and Jamelle Clark finished a rebound shy of a double-double
with 11 points and 9 boards.
Weaver led all scoring with 23 points; she also pulled down 10
rebounds for the Lady Rangers. Dana Alexander added 16 points and
Keturah Alexander 11.
Along with the 5’4” Waller’s big shot, the Lady ‘Runners tried on
something else in a Petite size. Morgan Petite, all 5’4” of her,
pulled down five offensive rebounds that proved crucial later in the
game. Petite also provided a spark that pulled AC out of a short
scoring slump – no field goals in the first five minutes of the second
half – swiping a pair of steals and converting the lay ups, then
putting back a missed shot to give her six points in just over a
minute.
That kept AC afloat until the threes began falling again later in the
second half.
“We had open shots all night long, and we hit some and missed some,”
Coleman said, “but I still had confidence that we were going to knock
those down when we needed them. We’ve got some good shooters.”
The Lady Roadrunners moved to 10-5, 4-1 with the win. They’ll travel
to Brenham Wednesday to take on Blinn College. Game time is at 5:30
p.m.
