by The Lady Indians Dominate at Home from Start to Finish
By Tyler Jones
LAWRENCE, KS- Love was in the air Saturday afternoon at Coffin Sports Complex, as the Haskell Lady Indians would be playing their final home game of the year on Valentine’s Day. Not only was it the loveliest day of the year, but Senior Day for Haskell. Saturday’s matchup would be the final game at Coffin for Tiffany Sullivan, Jenine Coriz and Tahnee Stands. Haskell (19-6, 8-3 MCAC) came into Saturday, winning six out of their last seven games and would be looking to do more of the same against Central Christian (9-18, 3-8 MCAC).
In the first, Haskell was money shooting wise, with eight three-pointers and shot 44% from the field. The Lady Indians also dominated the boards with 21 rebounds in the first, compared to just 13 from Central Christian. In her final game at Haskell, Jenine Coriz led Haskell in scoring with 11 points in the first, followed by 9 points from Arnetia Begay. Central Christian shot 37% in the first, led by 11 points from Ashlyn Garza and 6 points from Caitlyn Campa off the bench.
It was more of the same for both sides in the second half. Haskell outscored Central Christian in the second 34-27. The Lady Indians shot 48% from the field in the second and finished the game at 46%. Senior Jenine Coriz led Haskell in scoring with 13 points, followed 11 points each from both Kelli Warrior and Arnetia Begay. Seniors Tiffany Sullivan and Tahnee Stands also contributed in their final games at Haskell, as Sullivan scored 6 points and Tahnee Stands scored 3 points.
Coach Shane Flanagan after the game said, “I think everyone contributed. We shot the ball extremely well.” Flanagan also talked about the importance of getting the win for the seniors, “Our goal before the season was 20 wins and we got that today. It is amazing to see the progress of these girls (Stands, Sullivan, Coriz) or the last three or four years.”
For Central Christian, they shot 34% for the game and turn the ball over 24 times. Ashlyn Garza led them in scoring with 14 points, followed by 7 points from Raven Void and 6 points from Caitlyn Campa off the bench.
Central Christian College falls to 3-9 in the MCAC and 9-19 overall. Next week, Central Christian will finish the regular season with back-to-back home games against College of Saint Mary and Waldorf College. With Central College’s 3-9 conference record, they will not be eligible for the MCAC Tournament the following week.
Haskell racks up their 20th win of the season and moves to 20-6 overall. The Lady Indians stand at 9-3 in the MCAC and have already locked up a spot in the MCAC Tournament. Next week, Haskell will take on the College of the Ozarks on the road, before they finish off the regular season against Central Baptist College. The week following, Haskell will play in the MCAC Tournament at a site that is to be announced.
