This time, when the Southeastern Illinois College women’s basketball team took a double-digit lead against Wabash Valley on Saturday, the Lady Falcons did not let it go.
Courtney Smith scored 19 of her game-high 25 points in the first half of SIC’s 73-59 win against host Wabash Valley. With the home team looking to pack in the paint, cutting off Southeastern’s post offense by any means necessary, the Lady Falcons were able to explode on the perimeter to jump out to an early lead it would not let go.
Head coach Rod Wallace said the team seemed to grasp the concept of how to win while playing with a sizeable lead.
“Our kids finally figured out how to play to win rather than not to lose. I think we’re starting to make some head-way here,” Wallace said.
Only days after Wallace said he wanted guard Kelsey Bradford to be a leader down the stretch, Bradford answered the call by doing just that. With Smith and Bradford leading the backcourt, SIC suddenly became a little more difficult to stop as a balanced attack kept Wabash Valley off its toes.
“That helped spread the floor out. Kelsey Bradford did a good job of taking over the last five minutes and put a lot of the things to put people in position to score,” Wallace explained.
With the pressure off the inside game and Wabash Valley not knowing what to expect out of the Lady Falcons’ offense, Southeastern Illinois was able to return to its post game as Demeika Mitchell scored 17 points and grabbed nine rebounds, while Tonia Evans chipped in with 15 points in the paint as well.
SIC also held an advantage on the defensive end, as it forced 21 turnovers and nabbing 14 steals. Evans had four steals, Smith had three and Daviah Pierce stole three as the Lady Falcons held an opponent below 60 points for the first time since its Jan. 23 win against Lake Land College.
Wallace said SIC will be a tough draw for teams if its aggressive play continues down the stretch.
“If we keep attacking the basket, it’s going to be tough for teams to do what they were doing in the beginning of the year,” Wallace said.
Southeastern Illinois returns home Wednesday as it hosts Kaskaskia.
