Jefferson shuts down Lady Cardinals

HILLSBORO — The undefeated Jefferson College women’s basketball team displayed the talent and intensity on Thursday night that has warranted an extended stay atop the NJCAA national poll this season.

Balanced scoring was complimented by smothering defense throughout the second half, and the Lady Vikings widened the gap between themselves and the remainder of Region XVI with an 88-50 home rout over Mineral Area.

The Lady Cardinals have emerged as perhaps the premier challengers to Jefferson in the region standings after notching four straight wins, but suffered its largest defeat in an otherwise solid season.

Jefferson (22-0) produced an immediate 9-0 scoring run after leading 43-30 at the break, and held the Lady Cardinals without a field goal for the next 7:44. Mineral Area shot just 5-for-29 from the floor after halftime.

Sophomore All-American Danielle Adams netted a game-high 16 points with 10 rebounds, and LaToya Johnson added 15 to lead five double-digit scorers for Jefferson, which grabbed a whopping 25 offensive boards.

Mineral Area (14-8) stayed within 11-10 on an entry lob to LaShayla Bell after Gretchen Gaskin hit a difficult driving layup, but Porcha Porter sparked a 10-0 Jefferson spurt with back-to-back threes. Johnson answered a Caitlin Shadbolt reverse with two explosive layups late in the stanza.

Adams received more touches after being limited to five points before intermission, and extended the margin to 63-35 by running the floor for two transition baskets.

Shadbolt totaled 11 points with nine boards, and Gaskin tallied 10 for the Lady Cardinals, who will travel to State Fair on Saturday evening. Reserve guard Sarah Eagan played extensive minutes and finished with eight points and seven rebounds.

Porter connected three times from behind the arc and finished with 13 points in the victory. Diana Voynova matched ShaQuanda Williams with 10 points each.

Mineral Area  30  20 – 50

Jefferson  43  45 – 88

SCORING:

Mineral Area – Shadbolt 11, Gaskin 10, Eagan 8, Milfeld 6, Bell 6, Hubbard 3,  McQuin 2, White 2, Glennie 1, Evans 1. 3-point FG – Milfeld 2.

Jefferson – Adams 16, Johnson 15, Porter 13, Wiggins 10, Voynova 10, Beavers 9, Brown 5, Barrett 4, Williams 3, Scurlock 3. 3-point FG – Porter 3, Beavers 3, Brown, Scurlock, Williams, Johnson.