Lady Texans ousted in Region 5 semifinal

LUBBOCK – Alexius Dawn scored a career high 19 points whileShea Myatt and Tasheena Moore chipped in with 12 and 11, respectively, but that was not enough to stave off the Midland College Lady Chaps in the Region 5 semifinal as the Lady Texans' 2013 season came to an end with a 83-67 loss Friday afternoon at the Rip Griffin Center.

Midland (25-7) built a 13-point lead in the first six minutes to start the game and never looked back on their way to building a 42-24 halftime lead.

The Lady Texans could get no closer than 14 in the second half.

With the NJCAA National basketball tournament expanding their field to 24 teams, both Midland and Weatherford are guaranteed a spot in the March 18-23 tournament based in Salina, Kan.  South Plains – who have made numerous Region 5 Championship games under Wyatt – came up one game short.

Speaking with Don Williams of the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal following the game, Myatt said her sophomore season has certainly been a pleasant one.

"After a season like my freshman year where we only won nine games, this has been a dream season for all of us sophomores," Myatt said. "Even with the loss today, we still had a great time doing this this season."

The Lady Texans were conference tri-champions this season, tying with Midland and New Mexico, but earned the top-seed to the Region 5 tournament based on a power-point system.

The Region 5 continues today with two men's semifinal games and will conclude with Midland and Weatherford playing for the women's championship Saturday at 2 p.m., followed by the men's championship game at 5:30 p.m.

Midland College (25-7)
Achiri Ade 7-13 4-5 18, Darnetta Jackson 1-4 0-0 3, Diamalises Rivera 5-7 0-0 10, Sabrina Ochoa 1-1 0-1 3, Catherine Kruschke 1-3 0-2 2, Tia Dixon 4-7 5-5 15, Chanelle DiCroce 1-3 2-2 5, Daneichka Canales 3-6 4-6 10, Meghan Braeuer 2-7 4-4 9, Gabriela Martins 2-3 3-6 8. Totals 27-54 22-31 83

South Plains College (25-6)
Stephanie Moore 1-10 0-0 2, Sydney Hearn 1-6 5-6 7, Shea Myatt 4-8 1-2 12, Kayla Turner2-6 0-0 6, Courtney Dawson 0-0 0-0 0, Jasmine Brainard 4-8 1-2 9, TaSheena Moore 4-12 2-2 11, Aundrea Davis 0-1 1-2 1, Alexius Dawn 8-13 3-8 19. Totals 24-64 13-22 67

FG%: Midland College .500, South Plains College .375. 3-pt FG:Midland College 7-14 (Jackson 1-1, Rivera 0-1, Ochoa 1-1, Dixon 2-3, DiCroce 1-1, Braeuer 1-5, Martins 1-2), South Plains College 6-14 (Myatt 3-6, Turner 2-5, Moore 1-2, Dawn 0-1). Rebounds: Midland College 33 (Ade 12), South Plains College 34 (Moore 6, Moore 6, Dawn 6). Fouls Midland College 17, South Plains College 24. Fouled out: Hearn Myatt . Technical: none. Assists: Midland College 14 (Braeuer 4), South Plains College 8 (Dawn 3). Steals: Midland College 10 (Dixon 3, Canales 3), South Plains College 11 (Dawn 8). Blocked shots: Midland College 6 (Ade 3), South Plains College 1 (Moore 1). Turnovers: Midland College 15, South Plains College 16.