No. 19 Lady Roadrunners Hold Off Hill In Preseason Finale

Yes, it was a preseason game, and no, it didn’t count for anything in anyone’s standings.

But Wednesday’s win over Hill College gives the No. 19-ranked Angelina College Lady Roadrunners a little momentum heading into next week’s season opener against Eastern Oklahoma.

With AC leading by just a bucket at 65-63, freshman Donia Naylor converted a pair of free throws with :55 remaining, Tiara George followed on the other end with a big defensive rebound and snowbird Adele Stevenson broke free to knock down the lay-up and one to give the Lady Roadrunners a 68-63 win in the team’s preseason finale.

Tyeka Ranton, another freshman, led AC with 15 points, including five in a 30-second span with just under six minutes to play. George and Jasmine Jones added 12 and Donia Naylor – who went 8-of-10 from the free-throw line – chipped in with 10 points.

Jessica Lyons led the Lady Rebels with 16.

AC head coach Byron Coleman, who earlier this week learned his Lady ‘Runners were ranked 19th in the NJCAA pre-season polls, said he saw enough to convince him his ladies are ready to tip off the season – and that they have plenty of room for improvement.

“I thought our guard play was very good tonight, especially with Adele (Stevenson) running the point,” Coleman said. “And we saw that a couple of our freshman, Ranton and Jones, are going to be impact players for us at that position.

“We’ve just got to get our front line playing a little better, and we’ll have to get players ready in order to hold off any depth issues we might have later. We know now some of the areas we have to work on, and we’ve got time to do it.”

AC’s game with Eastern Oklahoma tips off at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 4th at Shands Gymnasium.

Angelina College guard Adele Stevenson (No. 11) weaves her way through Hill College defenders during Wednesday's preseason game at Shands Gym. The Lady Roadrunners held off the Lady Rebels 68-63 in AC's preseason finale.

Angelina College guard Candice Turner (No. 15) pushes past a Hill College defender during Wednesday's preseason game at Shands Gym.