By By BRUCE HIXON Sports Editor
If that overtime loss to Pensacola where the T.R. Miller Lady Tigers squandered a 19-point second half lead did not sting plenty at that time, it certainly does now.
It turns out that setback at the Pensacola Catholic Tournament will be the only blemish on T.R. Miller's regular season slate. The Lady Tigers head into postseason play with a 25-1 record and a 13-game winning streak after Saturday's 65-8 demolition of the visiting Northview (Fla.) Lady Chiefs.
"Yeah, we'd like to have that second half back against Pensacola, but I'll take a 25-1 regular season every year. I'd take that loss for seven more wins (the number of games T.R. Miller would need in order to win the Class 3A state championship," Lady Tigers coach Ron Jackson said.
While junior center Joy McCorvey led all scorers with 22 points and reached a personal milestone with her 1,500th career point during the contest, senior guard Keonshaye Lane capped off her final regular season home game with her third straight 20-point output. Lane, who tallied a career high 28 points against Flomaton Tuesday and 20 more against Monroe County Friday, racked up 20 more against Northview. Prior to the recent stretch, Lane had reached 20 points in a game just one time all season.
"She has certainly picked the right time of the year to get hot. You put her with Joy and Jasmine (Sanford) and that is going to make us tough to beat," Jackson said.
Four hoops by McCorvey, three by Lane and a three-point play by Sanford carried the Lady Tigers to a 17-0 lead to start Saturday's game and they never looked back.
The only field goal and the only points Northview got in the entire first half came courtesy of Amber Cutts with just under three minutes left in the first quarter. T.R. Miller's response to that was a 28-0 run spead over three quarters that made it 45-2.
Thirteen minutes passed before the Lady Chiefs scored again courtesy of two free throws by Alexis White and 25 minutes expired before Northview got another field goal (by White).
T.R. Miller will open up Class 3A Area 1 Tournament action on
See LADY TIGERS Page 8A its home court Thursday at 7 p.m. where it will take on W.S. Neal. Straughn and Clarke County will hook up in the other first-round game Thursday at 5:30 p.m. The two winners will return for Saturday's 7 p.m. championship game.
At T.R. Miller
Northview 2 0 2 4 – 8
T.R. Miller 21 22 14 8 – 65
NORTHVIEW (2FG-3FG-FT-TP) White 2-0-2-6; Cutts 1-0-0-2 (Totals: 3-0-2-8)
T.R. MILLER (2FG-3FG-FT-TP) McCorvey 11-0-0-22; Lane 7-2-0-20; Sanford 5-0-1-11; Williams 1-0-0-2; Grice 1-0-0-2; Watson 1-0-0-2; Scott 1-0-0-2; Brown 1-0-0-2; Peterson 1-0-0-2 (Totals: 29-2-1-65)