Lady Sharks Fall Short At State Tournament

This was not the fairy tale ending the Miami Dade College women’s basketball was hoping for.

The Lady Sharks did not advance in the 2011 Florida Community College Athletic Association State Championship Tournament, losing to Santa Fe College 47-62 on March 2. The team finished with a (12-15) overall record, 6-3 in the Southern Conference.

“Everybody was disappointed,” said sophomore point guard Melanie Ducott. “I felt that we could have played with more heart, but we played catch up the whole game instead. There was a lack of intensity within the last ten minutes of the game.”

The Lady Sharks committed 20 turnovers and shot an abysmal 23% from the field. The bench contributed only 12 points.

Sophomore shooting guard Tory Stephens said the team gave up too many drives to the basket forcing their post players to get in foul trouble.

“We just could not get on the right track and get it together,” Stephens said. “They found our weakness on defense and attacked it the whole game.”

The opposing team, the Lady Saints, enjoyed a productive offensive game. They scored 39 points in the first half and 23 points in the second half. The Lady Sharks managed 28 points in the first and 19 points in the second half.

“Too many turnovers,” sophomore forward Smiljana Cuk said. “We didn’t make good decisions. Before the game everyone was excited, but then in the second half we could not score.”