Walters State has no problem holding off Motlow State for conference win

Walters State's Lady Senators are the hottest team in the Tennessee Community College Athletic Association and had no trouble racking up their seventh straight victory Saturday afternoon.

The Lady Senators rolled to an easy 84-39 triumph over out-manned Motlow State who had only five players dressed for the game.

It was the seventh win against a single loss for Coach Jasmin Coleman's team and improved their TCCAA mark to 6-1.

Former Morristown West star Blayre Shultz led Walters State with 24 points with all of those but two coming in the second half. Madison McCoy contributed 21 and Haley Comer chipped in a dozen. Quentarra Mitchell scored eight and Vertonia Bady seven.

Jaelynn Knox topped the Lady Bucks with 12 and Stephanie Nwankwo added 11. Motlow State is now 0-8 for the season.

It was the third lop-sided win over Motlow and Coleman commented, "I talked to my team about coming out and playing hard. I told them that every team we play wants to beat us badly and we have to play.

 "The way the schedule is in this strange season we're playing, we're having to play teams four times each," she added. "So, it's important to keep our intensity. You have to focus more than ever when you play teams that third and fourth time."

Coleman added, "We came out and did a pretty good job but there were times we were sloppy with the basketball."

It was the second straight game McCoy had scored well and the coach said, "You know she hasn't played in two years and she's getting back to where she was. She hasn't even scratched the surface of what she can do.

 "Blayre is one of those players who is going to do whatever she needs to do for the team whether its score points, get rebounds, find open people for play defense," said Coleman.

The Lady Senators played 10 players at least 14 minutes and all but one of them scored.

Walters State was never threatened as it scored the first four points and then reeled off the final 15 of the first quarter to lead 19-2. From there it was just a question of the final margin.

Shultz, although she made just 1 of 7 shots in the first half, did all those things. She stuffed the stat sheet with six rebounds, four assists and four steals in addition to her team high points.

The Lady Senators shot 49.3 percent by making 34 of 69 including 10 of 20 from three-point range. The visitors made just 13 of 52 for 25 percent. The Lady Bucks missed all 10 of their shots behind the arc.

Bady and Comer had seven rebounds apiece as Walters State completely dominated the boards, 45-25. Jada Johnson and Nwankwo raked down 10 each for the visitors.

McCoy scored seven and Comer five to lead the Lady Senators' first quarter push.

Jayla Jeffries hit the first bucket of the second period but Bady had a layup and McCoy added a free throw. Knox scored again for the Lady Bucks but Mitchell and McCoy had baskets and the lead was up to 20 at 26-6.

Ryann Woodley scored five straight for the Lady Senators midway of the quarter, then Comer hit a bucket and McCoy added two more and it was 38-14 at the half.

Shultz finally hit a three with 6:51 left in the third and proceeded to score 10 more points in the period as the lead ballooned to 62-26 at the final rest stop. Bady also gunned in a three in the quarter.

Shultz wasn't through as she hit a couple more treys and scored nine in the fourth frame as the Lady Senators led by as many as 46.

Rob Harvey

Walters State Community College

Sports Information Director

Cell: (423) 779-8880

Email: sportsinfo@ws.edu

Website: www.ws.edu/athletics