Lady Titans trample Concord

CONNELLY SPRINGS — Good competition brings out the best in the McDowell Lady Titans.
That definitely proved to be true Tuesday for the Lady Titans as they handled the Concord Lady Spiders 81-64 in the semifinals of the Burke County Invitational in a game that wasn't as close as the final score.
McDowell (11-0) remained undefeated on the season going into Wednesday's tournament championship against Freedom. Results were not available at press time. Meanwhile, a talented Concord squad drops to 5-5.
The Lady Spiders featured an athletic group the likes of which the Lady Titans had not seen at any point in the season. Talented guard Nyshia Hammonds led all scorers with 21 points in a losing effort.
Meanwhile, four McDowell players posted in double figures.
Xandi Gellman had a strong outing in the interior, scoring 18 points and four rebounds. Gellman who has struggled at times this season against primarily zone defense, took advantage of the opportunities against both the man-to-man and zone defenses.
Point guard Jaalen Corpening (16 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists, 3 steals) had one of her best statistical performances of the season, coming just shy of a triple-double.
Autumn Ward (7 steals, 5 assists, 3 rebounds) had 14 points and Tuccoa Brackett added 12 points along with three rebounds and three assists.
"Concord is by far the most talented and most athletic team that we have played this season," said McDowell head coach Brian Franklin. "We got to see some different things that we haven't seen so far. Even though we made some mistakes here and there I was really happy with how we handled their pressure. I liked how we came out strong from the start. Defensively it was a great effort. Hammonds is a phenomenal player for them."
The Lady Titans came out strong, scoring the opening eight points of the contest en route to a 14-9 margin after one quarter.
Concord responded to the early deficit with a quick 8-2 run during the opening 2:24 of the second quarter. Jhemelia Edwards scored on a steal and layup with 5:36 left in the first half to give the Lady Spiders a 17-16 lead.
That would end up being the only time Concord held the lead during the game.
After a timeout, McDowell then quickly responded with an impressive 18-4 run during the remainder of the half that put the Lady Titans ahead 34-21 at the break.
One of the main catalysts of the flurry was Corpening, who made two steals which led to easy baskets and an assist on a third score all in a 90-second period to push McDowell back in front for good.
"Jaalen is one of those who really steps up when the competition is better," said Franklin. "We've got a few on the team who do that and she is one of them. The stretch where she made some steals and scored was a game changer."
From that point, the Lady Spiders did not get back within single digits. Hammonds drained a 3-pointer from the corner with 2:24 left in the third to trim the Lady Titans lead to 45-35.
McDowell then responded with an 11-2 run to finish the quarter, pulling ahead 56-37 and effectively putting the game away.
Five other Lady Titans scored in the contest.
Jami Medford added seven points. Kaitlin Gallion (5 rebounds, 2 assists) netted six points.
Madison Thomas tallied four points. Mary Webb and Brooke Epley scored two points each.