Head Coach Tangela Banks signed on as the Lady Trojans’ head coach in 2019 and started a slow climb to improve the MDCC basketball team. Six wins, followed by five, then eight – but in her fourth year her team put up 16, and again in her fifth year, and this season has hit the 20-win mark and has her team dancing in the Region 23 Final Four Playoffs at Pearl River Community College.
The Lady Trojans got there by taking down East Mississippi at home, then a very narrow overtime win on the road at Northeast this past Monday night, 69-68. It took an extra quarter in Booneville but the Mississippi Delta Lady Trojans survived overtime and took the win. The Lady Tigers’ season ends with a 17-13 overall record. The Lady Trojans, now 20-6 overall, will have to take another Region 23 Playoff road trip, this time to Pearl River in the Final Four to face Pearl River, 25-2, who defeated LSU-Eunice, 70-49.
Layla Carter was the Lady Trojan with ice in her veins as she nailed two free throws at the end of regulation to take the game into overtime and then hit two one of two with 15 seconds left. A flurry of action including turnovers by both teams in the final seconds, and fouls on the Lady Trojans, put Northeast on the line but Audria Houston only hit one of two free throws. Even though Northeast rebounded the miss, the final shot missed the mark and the Lady Trojans survived to advance.
Carter led all scorers with 25 points. Lauren Nelson was the workhorse inside with 16 points and 13 rebounds. Shamiya Sullivan added 14 points and nine rebounds.
The Lady Trojans were cold on outside shooting as they missed all five of their 3-point attempts. The crucial difference was at the free throw line as the Lady Trojans converted 19-of-26 for 73% while Northeast hit 17-of-25 for 68%.
When the Lady Trojans met up with Northeast earlier in the season, Janiah Caples scorched them for 33 points. But Northeast was ready for Caples and clamped down on her, holding her to one point and she fouled out of the game as well.
“I said, ‘what y'all going to do if Janiah ain't going to be scoring one night?’” Coach Banks said. “Because it's going to be a game. We're going to have to play without them. We show her to play without them.”
The Lady Trojans have been working on their defense for Pearl River and Coach Banks knows “It's over with. We'll get on to the next game and try to battle Pearl River the best way we can because they can play. They’ve got 10 solid players so we just gotta play solid defense, don't let them rush us. We have to play our game, pass the ball, don't get trapped. We can box them but who's gonna get the other ones. They all can play. It's going to be a tough game. They're the number one team for a reason.”
The Lady Trojans will face Pearl River on Friday, March 14, at 5:30 p.m. The other half of the Region 23 Final Four will be Coahoma Community College taking on Itawamba Community College. The winners will meet on Saturday at 6 p.m. for the Region 23 Championship.
