Rattlers end Indians' season in Region IX semis

LA JUNTA, Colo. – The season ended Friday for the McCook Community College women’s basketball team with a 66-53 loss to host Otero Junior College in the semi-finals of the Region IX division tournament.

“I'm disappointed to see the season end, but I'm so proud of this team and how hard we competed, especially the last half of the year. It's been five or six years since we made the semi-finals, and it's something we can continue to build on moving forward,” said MCC Coach Brandon Pritchett.

The Rattlers led 53-47 with 4:36 left in the game but a pair of 3-pointers cut the gap to 56-53 with 3:17, but that’s the last points MCC scored as Otero seized the game with a 10-0 run to end the game.

The game finished much differently than it started as the Lady Indians once again came out with a swarming defense to dictate the pace in the first 20 minutes of the game. MCC held Otero to 30 percent shooting in the first half and limited the Lady Rattlers to 23 points. Otero led at the half 23-21.

“I thought we had another strong defensive effort tonight,” Pritchett said.

OJC made 12 of 25 shots in the second half (48 percent) and out-scored MCC in the final 20 minutes of the game 43-32.

“We struggled to make shots on the offensive end. We fell into shooting 3s tonight against their zone and when we shoot that many we have struggled to win games,” Pritchett said.

MCC took 31 shots from the 3-point line on the night and made eight (25.8 percent). Overall the Lady Indians shot 29.9 percent from the field and was five of 14 from the free-throw line (35.7 percent.) MCC out-rebounded OJC 39-36.

Estrella Avalos (sophomore. Las Cruces, N.M.) led MCC in scoring with 14 points. Gail Whiting (sophomore, Montgomery, Ala.) came off the bench to score 13. Carla Torrubia Cano (sophomore, Melilla Spain) led MCC with nine rebounds to go along with five points. Whiting had seven rebounds and Avalos six.

OJC shot 38.2 percent from the field, was seven-for-23 from the 3-point line (30.4 percent) and sank 17 of 26 free throws (65.4 percent). The Rattlers out-rebounded MCC 39-36.

The Lady Indians finish the season 15-9.

“There were a lot of ups and down with this COVID-19 season, but our players embraced the challenges and really battled all year,” Pritchett said.