Campus News
February 6th, 2023
GC women avenge only loss while routing PSC
Canales posts double-double; five Lady Lakers hit double digits
Keyser, WV – The only blemish on Garrett College's women's basketball record – an overtime loss to Potomac State College of West Virginia University – was a source of irritation for the Lady Lakers.
GC took out its frustrations on PSC in Monday's rematch, rolling to a 77-58 victory as the visiting Lady Lakers won their 11th straight game.
GC head coach JT Lewis said his squad just needed to tweak its game a bit to gain a measure of revenge.
"We did a better job of not settling for outside shots and we shared the ball more," said Lewis.
Josie Canales notched a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds, adding a team-high four assists, as GC improved to 15-1. Josias Mickens (13 points, five rebounds), Gabriella Valentinetti (12 points), Aliyah Tucker (11 points, five rebounds), and Harmoni Swain (10 points, four rebounds) joined Canales in double figures.
Hailey Paige added eight points and five rebounds for the Lady Lakers, who shot 49 percent from the field.
MyKah Johnson put the Lady Lakers ahead to stay, 10-8, with a basket that started a 7-0 GC surge to end the opening quarter. Mickens scored the final five points of the first half as Garrett built a 31-21 lead at the break.
GC led by double digits for most of the second half while finishing out the win.
Alexis Yanosky scored 18 points and Kelly Ours added 17 for the Catamounts, but the rest of the team scored just 23 points.
Garrett 56, Prince George's 37
McHenry, MD
"We haven't been playing the 2-3 that well, but today we did," said Lewis, whose team stayed undefeated in the Maryland Junior College Athletic Conference. "When we play good defense, it allows us to get out on the fast break."
"Coach told us to keep pushing the ball so they couldn't set up their defense," said point guard Josias Mickens, who finished with 11 points and teams highs in assists (four) and steals (five). "We knew #5 [Vanessa Schwarzmann] was their shooter. If we could watch her in the 2-3, we could close down the passing lanes."
Maranda Carey turned a driving layup into a three-point play, giving the Owls a 32-30 lead with 3:38 remaining in the third quarter. PG, however, wouldn't score for another 6½ minutes, by which time the Lady Lakers had taken total control of the contest.
MyKah Johnson tied the game with a short jumper in the lane off a Mickens feed. Josie Canales then put GC ahead to stay with a driving layup for a 34-32 lead with 1:26 left in the third quarter.
Reserve Vanessa Cooper then knocked down an open 3-pointer, giving the Lady Lakers a 37-32 advantage. Mickens finished off the quarter with a three-point play off another driving layup to extend GC's lead to 40-32.
Canales (team highs with 12 points and eight rebounds) went coach-to-coast for a layup to open the fourth quarter. Aleeya Silver converted a weak-side offensive rebound into a layup, and Harmoni Swain capped the 16-0 spurt with a jumper that made it 46-32.
Aliyah Tucker, in her first game back from an injury, scored 10 points and pulled down five rebounds.
"I was in here early working on my shot," Tucker said of her game-day routine. "I knew to take my time and set myself up for a good shot."
PG's Janiah Williams scored 10 of her team-high 12 points in the first half. No other Owl reached double figures.
Note: Garrett took down its third nationally ranked opponent this season by knocking off PG (10-7 overall, 4-5 league), which is ranked sixth in NJCAA Division III.
The Lady Lakers (14-1, 7-0), Community College of Baltimore County-Essex (22-1, 6-0) and Montgomery College (13-4, 6-0) are the last remaining undefeated teams in the Maryland Junior College Athletic Conference. Garrett plays at Montgomery College February 15th and at Essex on February 25th.
"Montgomery is a talented team and Essex is very good," said Lewis. "We have our toughest conference games at the end of the schedule."
Garrett 69, Allegany 37
McHenry, MD – Josias Mickens led the Lady Lakers in points (19), rebounds (seven), and steals (three) last Wednesday night as Garrett (13-1) ran its winning streak to nine games.
Josie Canales added 18 points, Aleeya Silver chipped in with eight points and four rebounds, and Harmoni Swain and Deylana Forrest contributed six points each.
Hailey Paige, who had team highs in assists (five) and blocked shots (four), and Gabriella Valentinetti scored five points each.
