Chipola On Top Halfway Through Conference Schedule 1/29/09

By Clint Cox

The Chipola College men’s and women’s basketball squads reached the midpoint of the Panhandle Conference schedule this past Tuesday night when they hosted Gulf Coast Community College. And with a clean sweep of the visitors both squads are in first place in the Panhandle Conference.
In women’s action the Lady Indians posted a 68-42 win over the Lady Commodores. Chipola jumped out to an early lead but then saw Gulf Coast pull to within 5 points (45-40) midway through the second half. The Lady Indians then reeled off 21 unanswered points to seal the victory. Latoya Williams led the way with 21 points and 12 rebounds.
The win against Gulf Coast followed a 62-46 win over the Lady Eagles of Tallahassee Community College last Saturday night. Latoya Williams led the way with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Pearl Johnson followed with 11 points while Lenita Sanford added 9 points and 12 rebounds. The Lady Indians are now 20-3 overall and 5-1 in conference play. They are ranked #2 in the state and #7 in the nation.
In men’s action Chipola dominated the Commodores by jumping out to a 39-14 lead at the half. From there they cruised to an 83-46 win as Casey Mitchell led the way with 19 points. Gary Flowers followed with 16, Justin Brownlee added 13 and Torye Pelham chipped in 11.
Certainly the most thrilling game of the season for the Indians occurred last Saturday night in Tallahassee with the Indians pulling out an 86-81 overtime win. Chipola led at the half 34-26 but Tallahassee stormed back in the second half to take the lead. They led by 3 with seconds to play when Malcolm Armstead hit a three pointer at the buzzer to send the game into overtime. The Indians then pulled away from the Eagles in overtime to take the five point win. Mitchell had a record breaking night as he hit 25 straight free throws to lead the Indians with 37 points. After making 25 of 25 free throws Mitchell missed his last free throw of the night to finish 25-26. Three other Indians were in double figures led by Brownlee with 13, Flowers 11 and Armstead with 10.
The Indians now stand at 22-1 overall and 6-0 in conference play. They remain ranked #1 in the state and #1 in the nation. Both squads will be back in action on Saturday when they play host to Northwest Florida State College.