Thunderbirds’ late season run ends with losses at nationals
Nick Kosmider
The MCC women’s basketball team had their surprise, late-season run end abruptly as they lost both games in the NJCAA Division II Championships.Despite a losing regular season, and a third place finish in the region, the Lady T-birds rode into the ACCAC playoffs with high confidence and it showed as they captured the region title.
Sophomore guard Charlieann Chacon led the way as usual for MCC throughout the region tournament and captured MVP honors as a result.
In the two games of the tournament Chacon averaged 11.5 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and two steals.
Head Coach Kori Stephenson was very impressed with her team’s effort, especially in the championship game where they knocked of Chandler-Gilbert Community College on the road 72-57.
“The girls played amazing tonight, I didn’t even have to coach,” Stephenson said after the game.
Unfortunately for the Lady T-birds, their luck ran out in the national tournament which was held at Illinois Central College in Peoria, Illinois.
MCC dropped the opening game of the tournament to host Illinois Central 70-62. ICC went on to finish third in the tournament.
Mesa shooters could not find the bucket in the first half and as a result trailed at the break 31-17.
Led by Natasha Begay and Chacon, who finished the game with 13 and 12 points respectively, the Thunderbirds battled back and outscored ICC by six in the second half, but were unable to overcome the deficit.
MCC was dominated on the board as the Lady Cougars converted 16 second chance points to Mesa’s four.
The Thunderbirds second game of the tournament featured an opposite trend as MCC was close to even with Garrett Lady Lakers of Maryland in the first half, but faded away in the second half as they fell, 70-56.
A key number in this game was free throw shooting.
The Lady Lakers converted on 23 of 33 attempts from the charity stripe, while MCC struggled to get to the line at all and shot just 5 for 11.
