Women’s Basketball finishes fifth; Redeker wins 300th game
HARRISON, ARK. – The ICC Cougars were glad to be playing on the last day of the season, and not only that, but having a chance to be one of six teams across Division-I, Division-II, and Division-III to finish the season with a win.
ICC and North Arkansas started off with an offensive effort that was more even than anything. A play late in the first frame saw freshman Aubrey Magro hit the floor on a collision with North Arkansas’ Grace Coates. Magro, after some assistance, would make her way off the floor and not see action the rest of the way. The hosts and ICC would be tied after 10 minutes, 16-16.
North Arkansas not only had their best scoring effort in the second, but one of only two 20-point quarters for either side. Despite the points falling in for the Pioneers, Abby Coates was able to have another big first half for the Cougars, as she continued a stretch of three straight games being a major contributor for ICC in the opening half of play. Despite Coates dropping 11 points in the first half, the 20-point quarter from the host Pioneers would have them out in front at the break, 36-34.
In the second half, given Coates only saw 10 minutes of action the remainder of the game, Jasmine Levy and Bailey Larsen stepped up. Despite new ICC players making plays in the third quarter, the Cougars would need a great fourth quarter to hold off the hosts, with North Arkansas out in front to start the fourth, 53-49.
This game would come down to a very close finish, and Larsen came up clutch. A string of three shots from behind the arc keyed an ICC push to put the Cougars out in front for good. Larsen, finishing with exactly 20 points, would wind up with just the team’s third 20-point game all season, following Abby Coates scoring 23 against Rock Valley on November 29th and Jasmine Levy scoring 24 on February 28th against Lake Land.
ICC would win the game, 72-67, but that was just the start of things, as accolades rolled in for the fifth place Cougars post-game. To start, Abby Coates was named to the All-Tournament Team. Head Coach Karrie Redeker picked up her 300th career win between her time at Parkland and ICC, and to top it all off, the team was given the BJ Graber National Championship Sportsmanship Award.
The Cougars wrapped up the season with a (29-8) record, their 28th trip to Nationals in program history. Seven Cougars played their last game in an ICC uniform; Jasmine Levy, Krystal Walker, Aubrey Magro, Kellyn Maynard, Bailey Larsen, Kennedy Banks, and Isreal Evans.