Women’s Basketball beats rival Parkland; advances to Region Championship

SPRINGFIELD, IL – It doesn’t get much better than this. Rivals met in Springfield Saturday afternoon, as the #14 ICC Cougars (25-7) met the #16 Parkland Cobras (23-7) at Lincoln Land’s Cass Gymnasium in a Region 24 Tournament Semifinal.

Both teams were playing some of their best offense of the game right out of the gate, as Parkland would have their highest-scoring quarter of the game, and ICC was just one point below the same. The Cobras had the threes working early, as Crystal Mathis hit two of Parkland’s four threes for the game. Yet the Cougars were able to match and even better that. Jasmine Levy went 5-6 from the free throw line in the first quarter, Sia Williams added two shots from distance, and Abby Coates scored four of her eight, all to pace ICC to a 19-16 lead after the first ten minutes of play.

The second quarter saw the Cougars making the most of their three-point shooting opportunities. Bailey Larsen was feeling it from behind the arc, hitting three to score nine of her 11. Madison Faulkner added four on a two and a couple of free throws. Kellyn Maynard hit a three as well, to give ICC six threes in the first half. Levy and Kathy Pinnock-Branford also got in on the scoring. Two of Larsen’s threes were back-to-back, putting the Cougars up twelve in the late going of the first half. ICC held a eight point lead on their rivals headed to the halftime locker room, 39-31.

The second half started with Coates. The freshman got things going with a two and a big block. Levy had another good quarter, getting three shots to go and scoring six of her game-high 16 points. Williams added another three, her third of the game. Coates netted another two to score four in the third quarter. With just one quarter to go, the Cougars would hold a 10 point lead, 55-45.

ICC and Parkland would both actually have their lowest-scoring quarters in the fourth, combining for 25 points to close out the game. Heather DeLuca made the most of her trips to the charity stripe, going 4-4 to finish as one of three Cobras with 11 points to lead the team. Levy and Maynard combined for eight of ICC’s 14 points in the fourth. In the end, the Cougars would take down the top-seeded Cobras, avenging two consecutive losses to their rivals, 81-54 in last year’s Region Championship game, and 74-68 this season in Champaign on Valentine’s Day. The final score to send ICC to the Championship was 69-56.

The Cougars would hold Parkland to just 19 for 62 shooting (30.6%). ICC would also out-rebound the Cobras, 52-29 and won the assist battle, 16-8.

In the other semifinal, the Lake Land Lakers knocked off John Wood in overtime, 61-59. ICC will play Lake Land for a trip to the National Tournament in Harrison, Arkansas. The Region 24 Championship tips off from Cass Gym at 2:00 pm.

ICC Scoring: Jasmine Levy (17), Sia Williams (12), Bailey Larsen (11), Abby Coates (8), Kellyn Maynard (7), Kathy Pinnock-Branford (6), Madison Faulkner (4), Krystal Walker (2), Kennedy Banks (2)

ICC Statistical Leaders:

• Field Goals | Jasmine Levy (6 for 9)
• 3’s | Sia Williams & Bailey Larsen (3 each)
• Free Throws | Jasmine Levy (5 for 6)
• Rebounds | Jasmine Levy (12)
• Assists | Kathy Pinnock-Branford & Emma Henderson (4 each)
• Blocks | Jasmine Levy & Abby Coates (2 each)
• Steals | Abby Coates (2)

ICC Team Stats:

• Field Goals | 25 for 59 (42.4%)
• 3’s | 7 for 13 (53.8%)
• Free Throws | 12 for 14 (85.7%)
• Rebounds | 52
• Assists | 16
• Turnovers | 20
• Blocks | 5
• Steals | 4

Next Game:

• Sunday, March 11th
• 2:00 pm
• vs. Lake Land
• @ Cass Gym – Lincoln Land CC (Springfield, IL)
• Click HERE to watch the game LIVE on Periscope!