Women Win in Return Home
The Parkland Women picked up a much needed win on Wednesday as they raced by rival ICC 73-58. The Cobras used a balanced attack with only one player in double figures as Kristyne Smyth scored 15 points, chased down 7 boards, and handed out 5 assists. All 12 Cobra players who were dressed for the contest scored with 8 of them scoring at least 6 points.
The game started slowly for PC as they trailed 21-16 after the first 10 minutes. Back to back three's by Lindsay Lenon and Lauren Grubb sparked an 18-4 run to take a 32-25 lead into the break. After halftime, the Cobras picked up the pace building the lead to as many as 18 points and the Cougars could never get the margin back to single digits.
It may have been one of the Cobras better all around games in quite some time as they shot 49% from the field and made 10-15 shots from the line. PC dominated the boards 43-25 and committed just 16 turnovers. well below their season average.
Caitlin Cody added 8 points and Uzuri Williams scored 7 while Heather Baker and Ebany Brumfield each had 6 points and 7 rebounds. Lexie Taylor added 6 points and 6 boards in the winning effort and Lindsay Lenon and Taylor Redeker both tossed in 6.
PC improves to (15-8) while ICC drops their 6th straight game and fall to (12-13). The Cobras host Lincoln Land at 2:00 on Saturday.
Slow starting Cobra Women fall to rival DACC
The slow starting Parkland Women's Basketball team fell behind big early and fell to rival DACC 73-64 on Saturday afternoon in Danville. The hosts dictated the tempo from the start and charged out to a 26-9 lead in the opening ten minutes, as PC turned the ball over 7 of their first 14 possessions. Parkland finally settled down and cut the deficit to 36-24 at the half. In addition to poor defense in the first half, the Cobras also hurt themselves as they shot just 32% from the field.
The Cobras clawed all the way back after intermission, as they found a way to control DACC's offense and got some spark of their own, tying the game at 45 on a three point play by Ebany Brumfield. PC took their only lead of the afternoon at 48-46, on a three pointer by Lindsay Lenon, before DACC scored on three wide open lay ups to take the lead back at 52-48. Danville finished the game with solid possessions while the Cobras' offense stalled down the stretch. The Cobra offense struggled all night as PC shot just 33% from the field and only 50% (18-36) from the free throw line.
Caitlin Cody had 13 points and 9 rebounds while Ebany Brumfield added 12 points and 7 rebounds. Jeni Free tallied a double-double with 11 points and 10 boards.
Parkland, now 14-8 overall, 2-3 in the M-WAC, begins a five game home stand as they host Illinois Central at 5:30 pm on Wednesday. DACC improves to 15-6 and 2-2 in conference play.
PC Women wear down Shawnee to win third straight game
The Parkland Women's Basketball team placed four players in double figures Wednesday night, helping the Cobras to an 82-55 win over Shawnee Community College in Region 24 play in Ullin.
Kristyne Smyth opened the game with two baskets to get the scoring started for the Cobras, but the Saints came right back with a 3 pointer to cut their deficit to 4-3. Parkland took a 21-18 lead at the 9:22 mark on a 3 pointer by Lindsay Lenon and then pushed it to 23-18 on a rebound basket by Heather Baker. The teams played nearly even until the halftime break and the Cobras took a 39-35 halftime lead to intermission.
PC started out the second half with an 6-0 run, capped by Jeni Free's basket to give the Cobras an early 45-35 lead, but once again the pesky Shawnee team would not go away. With the Cobra lead at 58-49 with 8 minutes remaining, Parkland was finally able to wear down the Saints as they went on a 24-6 run to close the game.
Baker and Grubb led the way for Parkland with 12 points apiece, while Ebany Brumfield added 11. Caitlin Cody chipped in with 10 points and 6 rebounds while Free finished with 8 points. Smyth led the Cobras with 5 assists.
With the win, PC improves to 14-7 on the season ahead of a huge M-WAC showdown with rival Danville Area CC at 2:00 on Saturday in Danville.
Women roll past Lincoln
Caitlin Cody's 21 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists led the Parkland women's basketball team to a 78-50 victory against Lincoln College on Saturday afternoon in Lincoln. Cody scored the first basket for PC as the Cobras darted out to an 11-0 lead, only to have Lincoln go on an 11-4 run and cut the Cobra lead to 15-11. PC then scored on their next four possessions to take a 38-24 lead at the half. Cody tallied 13 points and Kristyne Smyth added six points to help get the Cobras on track in the opening stanza.
The two teams played evenly to start the second half, and PC held a 46-33 lead at the 14:00 mark until Lindsay Lenon hit back to back threes to break the game open and give Parkland a 52-33 lead. Strong bench play and solid defense enabled the Cobras to roll from there, as Parkland shot 49% for the game and dished out 18 assists.
In addition to Cody's big afternoon, several Cobras helped the Cobra cause as Smyth finished with 11 points and 4 assists. April Barnett and Uzuri Williams each added 8 points, and Lenon and Heather Baker each finished with 7 points. Taylor Redeker led the Cobra rebounding effort as she pulled down 7 boards, and Lexie Taylor also dished out 4 assists. The PC bench was key to the win outscoring their Lynx counterparts 29-12.
Parkland is now 13-7 overall and 2-2 in the M-WAC and will play at Shawnee (1-19) on Wednesday at 5:30 in Ullin. Lincoln falls to (6-13 1-2).
Cody to the rescue as Parkland Women outlast Millikin JV
Caityln Cody scored 9 of her game high 25 points in overtime as the Parkland Women''s Basketball team outlasted the Millikin University JV 80-72 in overtime. Cody had her best over-all game as a Cobra, chasing down 14 rebounds to go with her 25 points. April Barnett also had a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds and also dished out 6 assists. Kristyne Smyth also added 16 points and had 5 assists.
PC trailed by one at intermission but used a 14-2 run, knocking down 7-7 shots to start the second half to grab a 46-35 lead. Lauren Grubb and Smythe scored 10 of the points during the run. However, the Big Blue would not go away chipping away at the Cobra lead, eventually tying the contest at 53 with 9:06 remaining. The next six minutes belonged to Millikin as a combination of PC turnovers and a pair of big three pointers by Emily Jones gave the visitors an eight point lead at 65-57 with only 3:42 left. That would be the last time the guests would score in regulation as PC would get a pair of baskets by Cody to cut the margin to four. Kristyne Smythe added a lay-up and April Barnett would tie the game with a runner down the lane with just over a minute remaining. Both teams would have their chances in the final minute, including three shots in the final 15 seconds for Millikin.
The overtime was all PC as Barnett made a free throw and Cody had a basket and three free throws in the opening two minutes as PC outscored the Big Blue 13-5 in the extra period. Millikin, dressed only 6 players for the contest and all of them finished the game with 4 personal fouls. Bria Williams had a big game with 16 points and 19 rebounds while Brittany Czaplicki added 17. Brittney Gallivan pulled down 14 rebounds for MU which had 24 offensive boards on the night.
The Cobras won the game by shooting 52% from the field allowing them to overcome 31 turnovers, 18 in the second half. Millikin shot just 28% on the night but committed just 16 turnovers. The Cobras are now (12-7) and will be off until Saturday when they return to M-WAC action with a game at Lincoln College. Millikin is now (3-11) on the season.
Road woes continue as PC Women lose at John Wood
Turnovers, poor free throw shooting, and missed layups were the Parkland Women's Basketball team's demise on Saturday as they lost 72-66 to John Wood CC in Quincy on Saturday. Like in their previous game at Lincoln Land, the Cobras again struggled from the opening tip allowing the Blazers to build a 10 point first half lead. Late in the half, Taylor Redeker knocked home a three and Ebany Brumfield scored on the block to help cut the margin to four, 34-30, at the break.
The Cobras scored the first five points of the second half to grab their first lead at 35-34 and maintained a lead for most of the half behind Brumfield's rebounding and Smyth making free throws. PC still led 61-60 with 3:36 remaining, but committed fouls on six of the next seven John Wood possessions and the host team would make 10-12 free throws to regain the lead. A combination of turnovers, fouls, and missed shots would doom PC as JW closed out the game on a 12-5 run to snatch the victory. PC hurt themselves with 28 turnovers on the afternoon and made just 17-30 from the free throw line.
Brumfield was a bright spot for the Cobras with a double-double, pulling down a career high 16 rebounds and scoring 12 points. Smyth finished with 10 points and 4 assists, Taylor Redeker added 9, and Jeni Free tossed in 8. The loss drops PC to (11-7 1-2) in the M-WAC ahead of a 5:30 home game on Monday night against the Millikin JV. PC beat the Big Blue 62-45 in Decatur earlier this season. John Wood is now (9-10 1-0) on the year.
Lincoln Land edges #17 PC Women
The #17 Parkland Women's Basketball team lost on the road to Lincoln Land 55-53 on Tuesday in Springfield. The Cobras effort was lacking in the first half and it showed on the offensive end as they managed only one field goal in their first 15 possessions. Amazingly, the Cobras were only down 8-3 at the 10:00 mark as LLCC also struggled. The Loggers controlled the first half as PC could not get anything going offensively (8-36 field goal shooting for 22%), and LLCC took a 24-18 lead into intermission.
Parkland opened the second half with some energy, closing the gap to 24-23 on a three by Taylor Redeker but then the Loggers went on a 16-5 run to push the lead to 40-28 with 11:00 remaining, as Parkland went ten consecutive possessions without scoring. After the scoring drought, the Cobras went on a 10-0 run to cut the deficit to 40-38, only to see LLCC answer back with an 8-0 run of their own to push their lead back to 48-38.
The Cobras didn't give up as Parkland battled back behind April Barnett and Caitlin Cody's runners to the basket and knotted the score at 53 all with just 30 seconds to play. LLCC's Josie Boehm penetrated the lane and dished to Megan Kroeger for an easy basket to give the Loggers the lead with 7 seconds remaining. The Cobras had a final chance as April Barnett dribbled the length of the court and was fouled as she shot a jumper from the elbow with .8 left on the game clock. With a chance to tie, Barnett's first free throw rimmed out and PC did not get the rebound on the second miss as the buzzer sounded. Shooting woes plagued the Cobras all night long as they shot 34% from the field and a woeful 4-15 (26%) from the free throw line.
Barnett finished with 10 points, while Cody and Redeker each added 8 points while Ebany Brumfield pulled down 13 boards in the defeat. Parkland, now 11-6 overall, 1-1 in the M-WAC, travels to John Wood on Saturday to take on the Blazers in a 2:00 pm contest. Fans can hear the broadcast live on www.cobrasports.net. Lincoln Land is now (10-6 1-0) with the win.
Cobra Women hold off Lewis and Clark to earn win in M-WAC opener
The Parkland College Women's Basketball team needed all of the 25 point lead they built in the first half as they held off hard charging Lewis and Clark 85-80 in the M-WAC opener for both teams. The game looked like it was going to be a laugher early as the Cobras came out on fire hitting 10 of their first 11 shots grabbing a 22-11 lead. They increased the margin to as many as 25 at 42-17 but L&C closed the half on a 14-7 run to cut the margin to 49-31 at intermission. The Cobras shot 22-30 (73.3%) in the opening half and could have had a bigger lead but made just 4-11 from the line.
The second half was a completely different story as the Blazers turned up the pressure forcing Cobra turnovers and turning them into points. Lewis and Clark would finally tie the game at 72 with just over 5 minutes remaining and the two teams were still knotted up at 76-76 before the Cobras would seal the win. Ebany Brumfield's put back gave the Cobras a two point lead, Jeni Free made 1-2 free throws, and Caitlyn Cody converted a rebound of her own missed shot made it 81-76 with 2:01 left.
The Blazers made a pair of free throws to cut the lead back to three before PC leading scorer Kristyne Smyth's lay-up on a nice pass from Cody put the Cobras back up 5. Lewis and Clark would again answer back with a basket by Latrice Taylor, and actually had two chances to tie the game after a PC turnover and two missed free throws, but both three-point attempts were off line and Free sank two free throws with 4.5 seconds remaining to secure the win.
Smyth led the Cobras with 17 points and 7 assists, Cody had 13 points and 5 rebounds, while April Barnett added 11. Heather Baker had a strong game finishing with 6 points and 11 rebounds. The inside trio of Baker, Free, and Brumfield combined for 24 points and 22 rebounds as the Cobras won the battle on the glass 46-31. Claudette Maurice led all scorers with 26 points for Lewis and Clark.
PC moves to (11-5 1-0) while the Blazers drop to (6-8 0-1). Parkland will return to action on Wednesday at 5:30 when they travel to Springfield to take on Lincoln Land (9-6 0-0).