The host Brunswick Community College women’s basketball team put on a defensive and offensive show Dec. 29 and easily handled Baltimore Community College 77-29 in the Southport Hampton Inn Holiday Classic.
 

Although the Lady Dolphins had only one day of practice since the Christmas break, they led 34-13 at halftime in the game on Walter Shaw Court at the Dinah E. Gore Fitness & Aquatics Center.

UNCW signee Chelsea McGowan, playing her first game of the season for BCC after recovering from an automobile accident, easily took charge of the tip-off. Danielle Blunt got the easy layup, the first of her 8 points for the game.

After Sharay Roberts scored for Baltimore, the one-on-one defense of the Dolphins got stingy. McGowan grabbed a defensive rebound and passed to Julia Crews, who passed up the shot and fed McGowan on a perfect give-and-go. McGowan scored the first of her 10 points for the game. Crews, who also finished the game with 10 points, then made a steal, was fouled and made both shots—as the lady Dolphins were on their way to the rout.

In the early part of the first half, the Dolphins showed ball control, frustrating the Panthers’ defensive efforts.

BCC’s Kiandra Long, playing her best defensive game of the season, stole the ball and converted an easy layup. She led all scorers with 12 points. Two plays later, another steal by Long and her pass to Shaquita Jones led to a foul. Jones made one of the two free throws. She finished with 9 points.

Sheena Suttlemyre, the West Brunswick High School standout and only Brunswick County native on the team, entered the game and shocked the Panthers with her speed. She passed to McGowan, who had a rare miss, but Jones grabbed the rebound and was fouled. Jones missed both free throws but jumped in, grabbed her own rebound and scored as the Baltimore team received some words of advice from its coach.

The Dolphins’ defense again stopped the Panthers and Suttlemyre passed to Jones for an uncontested layup.

Willetta McIntyre, (5 points) playing point guard, perfected the run and gun with Suttlemyre (7 points) for an easy layup and a 19-9 lead.

Another defensive rebound for McGowan and the Dolphins showed they were in sync with some great ball movement. Passes from Crews to McIntyre to McGowan to Cassie Harrell gave her an open shot and she scored. She finished with 6 points.

Long had two more steals for BCC before the half ended.

“I’m impressed with the things that we have done tonight (after) the eight-day, nine-day holiday break,” BCC coach Ashlyn Burke said.

“We picked up our offense and are starting to click. We lost two games—Wake Teach and Mount Olive—that I felt we should not have lost. But it is all about growing pains and learning how our team works.

“On defense, Kiandra Long, I have to give her credit. She has really stepped it up. Tonight, I’m telling you, she came out and really turned it on. You can’t get past her. I really like the way she plays defense—and she was also the high scorer tonight.”

The second half resembled the first, with the Dolphins scoring 9 more points in the second than they did in the first. Crews fed Emily Schweer for a layup. Schweer finished with 10 points. She then made a steal and scored after weaving through the Baltimore defense.

Long was beginning to look like a thief now, as she stole the ball from the Panthers’ point guard and passed to Schweer, who fed Long underneath. Baltimore called a timeout and tried to regroup.

BCC began playing as it were losing—the defense got tougher and tougher. And the offense kept scoring. Suttlemyre hit an 8-foot set shot. McIntyre from beyond the arc hit a 3-pointer. Long made another steal and passed to Suttlemyre for the score.

 â€œWe had to really pick up the intensity,” Long said. “We ran a man-to-man defense and then a 1-3-1. We had to keep their point guard under control. We also took advantage of their lack of height in the middle.

“The coach had a good game plan. We feel as a team that we are getting stronger and our confidence is getting better as a group.”

With fewer than 5 minutes left, the rest of the game became the Emily Schweer show. Crews fed Schweer, and she made a left-handed reverse layup. After another layup by Schweer and her putback on a missed shot, the score was 67-29. BCC scored the final 10 points.

“A lot of these girls have gotten more confident in the way they are playing,” Burke said,  “and that makes it a lot easier when they step out on the court. We still have things to work on and we go into conference play in January.

“I am a lot more relaxed this season—some days, anyway—as I have had more than just two weeks to put this team together this year. There are going to be rough days and good days.”