Eyes from the University of Texas and Houston were closely watching Independence Community College’s Brittney Reeves on Wednesday night against the Lady Devils.
The attention was well earned as the 6’5” center finished with 23 points and 19 rebounds, playing a major role in the Pirates’ 92-67 win over ACC.
But Tuesday’s game was about more than basketball; it was celebrating the efforts of sophomores Ariel Walker, Gabby Guzman, Masie Schroeder, and Kayla Gipson.
“They are all such a great group of kids,” ACC head coach Rachel Janzen said. “Their leadership is irreplaceable. They built this program from one to two wins a season, to now where we are right at 10. They have done excellent things for this program moving forward, and I can’t tell you how proud I am of them.”
Walker drained a step-back trey to level the score halfway through the first quarter. That would be the Lady Devils’ final basket of the period. Indy engineered an 11-0 run to take a 22-11 lead into the second.
The Lady Devils didn’t go away without putting up a fight in the second. A three-point play from Alejandra Handie got ACC on the board after a near six-minute scoring drought.
The Lady Devils came within six after a corner trey from Brandi Jordan. And in the waning seconds of the half, Guzman brought the Devils within one after a fast-break score, but a 3-pointer at the buzzer sent Indy into the locker room ahead 41-37.
“They at one point had a 14-point lead, but we cut it to four at halftime,” Janzen said. “They were hitting their threes tonight, which is not something that they normally do.”
The Pirates converted 12 of 27 from beyond the arc. That sharp shooting helped Indy construct a 15-4 run in the opening minutes of the second half. ACC had no answer for the Pirates third-quarter explosion, and trailed by 24 heading into the fourth.
Indy kept its pace in the fourth to walk away with the 92-67 victory. ACC simply didn’t have enough left in the tank.
“We were just gassed,” Janzen said. “Our legs were done, Ariel missed some free throws because her legs were dead, but she played hard though.”
Walker finished as ACC’s leading scorer with 24 points. Also in double figures were Guzman with 10, and Handie scoring 13.
The 8-19 Lady Devils will conclude their season on Saturday at Neosho. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
