Women's Basketball: No. 8 Knights Continue to Roll
By Devon Douglas
Rosedale, Md. -- CCBC Essex downed Hagerstown last Saturday 117-37 to go to 9-0 this season, 4-0 in the Maryland Juco Conference.
Sophomore guard Lyric Swann (Elkridge, Md.) scored a career-high 41 points, going 15-23 and 9-14 from three-point range. She also had six rebounds, six assists and five steals.
Swann consistently came up big for the Knights as she led the team in points every quarter of the game.
From tip-off, the Knights came at the Hawks with aggression and ran their usual full court press. Hagerstown was not ready for the pressure and gave away the ball numerous times leading to many fast break points for the Knights.
CCBC Essex prefer the three-point shot as they have many shooters on their squad. Three after three dropped for the Knights including threes off a fast break.
Sophomore guard Patricia Anumgba (Silver Spring, Md.) was also a player of notice. She finished the game with 17 points, six rebounds, eight assists, and four steals.
As usual Anumgba was a force for the Knights offensively and defensively forcing many turnovers.
The Knights didn't let up and their strong performance got them off to a 27-0 lead. Hagerstown didn't see their first point until there were four minutes left in the first quarter. The Knights continued their dominance and the first quarter soon ended 40-6.
The following quarter to close out the first half was more of the same. The Knights subbed in their reserves which slowed the games rhythm for a few minutes. This created more opportunities for the Hawks offensively. However, CCBC Essex continued to stop any chance the Hawks got, ending the first half 60-7.
In the second half the Knights displayed their versatility. They no longer ran a full court press but instead allowed Hagerstown to get up the court but immediately put pressure on the ball handler as soon as they crossed half. They trapped the ball handler and forced them to make a bad pass.
Hagerstown did find more chances to score but couldn't score. Their team finished the game only 14-50.
The Knights keyed in on swinging the ball around the arc to find the perfect shot. Every player on the Knights contributed and played their role well.
Knights Roll past Trojans
The Knights women's basketball team defeated Alleghany 153-23 last Wednesday evening.
Sophomore guard Kendal Haggerty (Frederick, Md.) had a highlight performance for the Knights as she scored a game-high 30 points coming off the bench.
Hagerty went 0-1 in the first quarter, but completely took over for the Knights in the second, making five straight threes and going 5-6 for the quarter. She had 21 second-quarter points and continued to score throughout the game's entirety, going 10-17 from deep.
Sophomore guard Patricia Anumgba (Silver Spring, Md.) provided the Knights high energy on offense scoring 13 points in just the first quarter and forcing the Trojans to make mistakes with aggression on defense. She finished the game with 20 points, eight rebounds, six assists, and two steals.
The Knights dominated Alleghany in all aspects, CCBC Essex swung the ball trying to find the perfect shot but also work hard on defense to force mistakes. These efforts gave the Knights a huge lead to end the first half 84-10.
To start the second half, the Knights continued without the full court press but came out with more aggression. They are forcing more mistakes and scoring points quickly on transition.
The Trojans are finding opportunities to score because the Knights are not running a full court press like they usually do. The Trojans are doing well to move the ball and escape pressure but cannot make any of their shots.
Sophomore guard Lyric Swann (Elkridge, Md.) scored the second highest points with 23. She also tallied two rebounds, six assists, and four steals.
Freshman forward Lillian Harris (Westminster, Md.) also had a great impressive night with 18 points, seven rebounds, three steals, and one block.
More of the same came in the third quarter, many of the Knight's reserves got a chance to add to their teams lead and display their skill. The third quarter also ended with a huge margin. CCBC Essex conceded only 11 points in the third ending it 117-21.
Every player on the Knights scored and eight players finished in double digits.
Next Up
CCBC Essex will travel to Bronx, N.Y. to play against Monroe College on Friday.
They return to Maryland the next day to take on Niagara County in a game at Cecil College. Tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m. and spectators are welcome.