'Jacks win over Garrett in offensive thriller

By BENJAMIN BRUNNER

WYE MILLS –  Chesapeake College kept up a strong defensive wall and a powerful offensive pace in a close 70-66 win over the Garrett College Lakers, in Round One of the Maryland Junior Athletic Conference Tournament on Thursday night.

The Skipjacks showed great ball control in the first half, with two back-to-back three-point shots to open the second quarter. Fouls plagued Garrett, who committed five in the first quarter. However, several missed shots by Chesapeake opened the door for Garrett to come back from a seven point deficit and tie the game. A three-point shot at the buzzer by Janice Ladson (17 points) gave Chesapeake the 34-31 halftime lead.

Garrett was never able to top Chesapeake until the third quarter; however, Ladson regained the lead immediately with another three-point shot. The game was down-to-the-wire, until a Laker foul put Chantelle Gross (18 points) on the line to sink two foul shots. A last-minute lay up from Shahra Madison (17 points) sealed the Skipjacks win.

Chesapeake Coach Gwen Barnes attributed the win to "defense and staying mentally focused".

The Skipjacks (15-7, 11-4) will compete against Harford Community College (24-2, 13-0) in the semi-finals of the Maryland Junior Athletic Conference Tournament on Saturday at 2 pm., at Chesapeake College.