Lady Sharks Fall In Opening Round
The Miami Dade College Lady Sharks lost 83-61 to Chipola College in the opening round of the State Tournament in Ocala to end their season.
Chipola College was arguably the hottest team heading into the tournament having won eight games in a row and boasting a 28-1 record. The Sharks were down by 15 points at the half and they trailed by as many as 31 points during the game.
Lady Sharks sophomore center Jacqueline Blake led Miami Dade College with 16 points but she had her minutes limited due to a slight knee bruise suffered during the game.
“I was coming down with a rebound when a girl from the other team fell on my leg,” Blake explained.
Freshman Rakena Bowers scored seven points and grabbed seven rebounds, but the Lady Sharks were still outrebounded, 45-34, by Chipola College.
Despite the loss, the Lady Sharks showed a knack for perseverance throughout the year. On September 28, 2014 three members of the team were shot at a Miami nightclub. They all survived the incident but the team started the season 0-7.
The Lady Sharks recovered, though, going 15-8 during the remainder of the regular season including a 9-2 stretch to end the season that helped them secure a spot in the State Tournament.
“It was a rough start,” sophomore guard Kendshadra Smith said. “As we came into the middle of conference [play is] where we began to play as a team.”
Head Coach Susan Summons described the team’s attitude through the ups and downs as one of “focus” and “perseverance.”
Blake led the Lady Sharks in scoring and rebounding 19.4 points and 10.4 rebounds per game during the season. Smith was second on the team in scoring, averaging 13.6 points per game while shooting 42.5% from the court.
The Lady Sharks will lose eight players from this year’s team. Their top returning players for next year are expected to be Bowers, who averaged 6.4 rebounds and four points per game, and guard Nachalie De Jesus, who averaged six points a game.
