Lady 'Runners Push No. 2 Kilgore to Brink

By GARY STALLARD

AC Athletics

BAYTOWN – The Angelina College Lady Roadrunner basketball team has been playing nearly the entire season short on players.

No one could accuse them of being short on heart and determination, and both qualities were on display in Wednesday's quarterfinal game of the Region XIV Conference Tournament.

With just seven players suited up – including a former team manager who's been logging valuable minutes and a player playing through a painful injury – the Lady 'Runners pushed No. 2 seed Kilgore College to the brink before falling 57-55 at Lee College in Baytown.  

AC's Aminah Dixon nearly lifted her team to a miracle, but her three-point shot at the buzzer just missed as the Lady Roadrunners saw their season come to an end.

The way the season has unfolded for the undermanned Lady 'Runners has seen the team keep pace with opponents until fatigue finally hit. Most of AC's players averaged nearly 40 minutes per game, but without a deep bench, they just weren't able to finish strong.

That wasn't the case on Wednesday. Kilgore's largest lead of the game was nine points, and the Lady Rangers held a 50-41 lead with 7:20 to play in the game.

Instead of fading, the Lady 'Runners rallied, with Ja'Kaila Lee hitting a couple of three pointers late. Katherine Martinez hit another trey at the 1:57 mark to trim Kilgore's lead to 57-54, and a Dixon free throw with 22 seconds remaining put AC within a bucket.

But on AC's final possession, Dixon's potential game winner wasn't to be as Kilgore advanced to Friday's semifinals.

Dixon led the Lady Roadrunners with 23 points. Lee and Timberlyn Washington added 13 points each.

Ja'Sani Green finished with 17 points to lead all Kilgore players in scoring.

The Lady Roadrunners' first-year head coach, Addie Lees, said there were suggestions earlier in the year regarding canceling the remainder of the season just because of her short-handed roster. More than once, the Lady 'Runners had to finish a game with just four players on the floor.

But Lees, assistant coach Mercedes Corona and the rest of the team just refused to quit.

"This team has been resilient all season long," Lees said afterward.  "We went to battle in the conference tournament and fought until the final seconds. Our staff and team never gave up.

"I told the team to keep their heads held high and to be proud of the way we finished."

The Lady Roadrunners end their season with a 6-20 record.

The email address for AC's Sports Information Director is gstallard@angelina.edu.