GOSHEN, Ind. – After taking an 8-0 lead from the start, Goshen never looked back. The Maple Leafs women's basketball team had a 36-point lead at one point and beat the Blackburn Beavers 83-58 on Saturday afternoon.
"I feel very good about the team's approach right now, and they are coming mentally prepared to accept whatever the challenge may be," said head coach
Stephanie Miller.
Syanne Mohamed and
Taniece Chapman scored the first eight points for the Maple Leafs, but the sizable lead allowed many players to get some more minutes than usual. Goshen had 15 players play at least seven minutes, and 11 played for at least ten. Twelve of them scored, and four Goshen players got to double-digits –
Taniece Chapman, Sadre'a Rougeau,
Janara Flowers, and
Graysen Cockerham.
Emily Brandeberry came off the bench to score eight points and was 6-6 at the line in 12 minutes of play, and
Jazmin Vargas hit a three-pointer and brought down four rebounds in ten minutes of action. Miller said, "both played tough defense, hit some free throws or shots around the rim, and did their job on the glass for us. Those ladies may not be tall posts, but they are hard workers and play physically.
Suzanna Yoder had five points and shot 50%. "She was more in command, leading the offense and looking for her shot a bit more today."
Blackburn (1-9) is a member of the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) at the Division III level. This was their fourth straight road game.
Goshen (6-6, 2-2 CL) has now won three of their last four, but they have some tough opponents ahead as they travel to Florida ahead of the Christmas holiday. "If we stay focused and learn," Miller pointed out, "these lessons in Florida will give us the prep we need to come back to conference play and see Marian and Mount Vernon Nazarene on the road in January."
In Lakeland, Florida, the Leafs will face Bryan College on Thursday, December 16 at 5:00 pm and Southeastern University on Friday, December 17 at 7:00 pm. Then on Sunday, December 19 at 1:00 pm, they will face Warner University in Lake Wales, Florida.
The next home game for Goshen will be Thursday, December 30, at 3:00 against Holy Cross College.
