Reiver women fall one game short of Nationals

Article coutesy of The Daily Nonpareil. 

POPLAR BLUFF, MO. – Three Rivers Community College locked up a spot in the national women's junior college basketball tournament Friday night with a 77-59 win over Iowa Western in the District K playoff.

Three Rivers, ranked No. 22 in the nation, led by eight points through three quarters before scoring the first 10 points of the fourth period to pull away on their home court. Unranked Iowa Western didn't score in the fourth quarter until Aubriana Noti's basket made it 67-51.

Three Rivers, averaging 87 points a game coming in, played full-court pressure for the whole game, and it eventually took its toll. "I think we ran out of gas at the end of the game," IWCC coach Lindsey Vande Hoef said. "They played 94 feet, and we just couldn't hang with them."

Three Rivers co-coach Alex Wiggs agreed. "That was a battle," he said. "We realized right before the first half ended, they looked tired."

Kiara Dallmann, one of six sophomores who played their final game for IWCC, led the team with 17 points and 13 rebounds. Sommer Blakemore added 12 points, and Noti had 12 boards.

Katelyn South and Deanay Watson led Three Rivers with 15 points each. 

The win was the 20th in a row for Three Rivers, which beat a Reiver team that had won 15 of its last 16 games. "It really is hard to say goodbye to the season when we had such high hopes," Vande Hoef said.

The national tournament is March 18-23 in Lubbock, Texas.

IW: Kiara Dallmann 17, Sommer Blakemore 12, Aubriana Noti 8, Zhan'e Williams 2, De'Ayra Davis 9, Binta Salawu 6, Aimee Brett 5.

TR: Deanay Watson 15, Hannah Thurmon 9, Kimberley Shaw 11, Hailee Erickson 14, Jordan Little 9, J'Kayla Fowler 4, Katelyn South 15