East Peoria, Ill. - The Illinois Central College women's basketball team (8-4) picked up a 71-60 victory over McHenry County in the opening round of the 42nd Annual Cougar Holiday Tournament on Thursday afternoon at Ramsey Gym. The Cougars dished out 24 assists (one shy of tying a season-high) on the evening en route to their fifth consecutive win and earning a spot in the championship semifinal on Friday where they will face Bryant & Stratton at 4:00 PM.
McHenry County took an early 12-8 lead before
Elena Redgate and
Imari McDuffy helped get ICC on the right track. Redgate got a steal and passed ahead to
Addi Swadinsky for a fast break layup, and then McDuffy hit Redgate for an inside hoop. McDuffy then swiped a steal and hit
Paris Wilson in transition as the Cougars took a 17-14 advantage. Wilson got an offensive rebound and found Redgate for an easy putback as ICC took a 19-14 lead after a quarter.
Savannah Orgeron opened the second quarter with a turn-around jumper,
Miya Webb nailed a three-pointer (assist
Naomi Elliott), and a
Cora DeSutter steal/layup put the Cougars up 30-19. After scores by Redgate, DeSutter, and a euro-step by Wilson, McDuffy closed the half with a trey (assist Wilson) to give ICC a 40-25 lead.
Swadinsky assisted Webb and DeSutter on the first two field goals of the second half, as ICC opened up a 20-point lead at 45-25.
Jhanel Coleman had a three-point play (assist Webb) and Wilson added two baskets to keep the lead at 57-37 heading into the fourth quarter.
McHenry County would not back down in the fourth quarter, out-scoring ICC in the final frame 23-14, and getting the game's margin dangerously close to single digits. Alas, ICC hung tough to get the win and slide to the 'winner's' half of the tournament bracket.
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Jhanel Coleman | 13 points, 7 rebounds, "I Beat the Dean"
Paris Wilson | 12 points, 3 assists
Savannah Orgeron | 10 points, 6 rebounds
Miya Webb | 8 points, 5 assists, 3 steals, 3 rebounds, 1 drawn charge
Elena Redgate | 8 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals
Cora DeSutter | 7 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists
Imari McDuffy | 6 points, 8 assists, 2 rebounds, 2 steals
Addi Swadinsky | 5 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists
Naomi Elliott | 1 point, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals
Saniya Tutt | 1 point, 1 steal
OTHER FIRST ROUND GAMES/ NOTABLES:
#9 Lake Land def. Black Hawk, 69-50
LLC Leading Scorer
Sydney Richards (26 points)
BHC Leading Scorers
Andrea Lopreato (18 points), Meghanne Freehill (12 points)
#1 Kirkwood def. Joliet, 83-41
KCC Leading Scorers
Emily Dreckman (18 points), Demetria Prewitt (13 points), Jenna Twedt (11 points), Kaylee Corbin (10 points)
JJC Leading Scorer
Kiyah Robertson (16 points)
Bryant & Stratton 61, #19 Palm Beach State 51
BSC Leading Scorer
Trishena Brown (20 points)
PBS Leading Scorers
Ashley Thornton (13 points), Taylor Blackshear (11 points)
FRIDAY TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
10AM | Consolation Semifinal | Black Hawk (4-10) vs. Joliet (5-8)
12PM | Consolation Semifinal | #19 Palm Beach State (12-3) vs. McHenry County (4-6)
2PM | Championship Semifinal | #1 Kirkwood (14-0) vs. #9 Lake Land (11-3)
4PM | Championship Semifinal | ICC COUGARS (8-4) vs. Bryant & Stratton (8-5)
WHAT'S NEXT FOR THE COUGARS
ICC Holiday Tournament Semifinal
vs. Bryant & Stratton Bobcats (8-5)
@ Ramsey Gym - East Peoria, Ill.
Friday, December 29th - 4:00 PM
Watch Live (YouTube)
Listen Live (Mixlr)
