At a time when the No. 7 seeded Lady Bears needed to put their best foot forward, they played arguably one of their best games of the year Monday topping the visiting No. 10 seed Co-Lin Lady Wolves 73-48 in the first round of the NJCAA Region 23 Tournament.
"Our defense was really good," Southwest head coach Brent Harris said. "We are still improving and we want to keep our season going. I'm really proud of us. We've got some people who can play when we are focused, when we are engaged, when we are listening to the scout. We can do some things."
The balanced attack from the Lady Bears (16-10) produced three scorers in double-figures. Veroinca Williams posted 13 points and Michaela Payton had 11 while Southwest was led by Nia Hardison who recorded 15 points.
While Hardison was one of the key contributors on offense, she said that play on the other side of the court was just as, if not, more important
"We had our mind ready tonight," Hardison said. "We came in focused and remained key. Tonight's game was defense and the whole team came ready to play and we wanted to keep our season going."
The defense of the Lady Bears (17-10) had much success slowing down a talented Lady Wolves team. Co-Lin shot 40% from the field and only one Lady Wolf scored in double-figures.
Right out of the gate, the combination of Southwest's stout defense and tough offense paid dividends. The Bears raced out to a 14-4 advantage. However, the Wolves rallied to pull within two at 14-12 at the end of the first quarter.
In the second, things quickly escalated for Southwest. The Lady Bear defense held Co-Lin in check, not allowing any points in the period. Meanwhile, the offense got a pair of makes from Hardison to kick things off. She was complemented by makes from Veronica Williams, Michaela Payton, Savannah Hailey, and an impressive steal and 3-point play on the fast break by Tee Bryant bringing the many fans in attendance inside the packed Bear Basketball Center to their feet.
Southwest led 30-12 at the half.
In the third, the stellar play from the Lady Bears picked up where it left off before the half. Williams kicked off the period with a 3-pointer before Hardison provided the next six Lady Bear points. Her final make started a 10-0 run highlighted by 3-pointers from Payton and Hailey ballooning the Southwest lead to 47-17.
With just under 2:45 to go in the third, Williams connected on another 3-pointer before grabbing an offensive rebound and making a put-back on the ensuing possession. The Lady Bears took a 59-28 lead into the final quarter of play.
Down the stretch, Co-Lin showed fight, cutting into the Southwest lead. But makes from Mia Wheeler and McKenzie Amos helped keep the Lady Bear offense moving in the right direction as Southwest ran out the clock, picking up the win.
The focus now shifts to Wednesday night where the Lady Bears will travel to Poplarville to face No. 2 seed Pearl River in the second round of the Region 23 Tournament.
