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Region II Champs
(Press Release 3-12-01

Both Eastern Oklahoma State College Mountaineer basketball teamsentered the 2001 NJCAA Basketball Region II finals Sunday (March 11)hosted at Oklahoma Baptist University in Shawnee with the LadyMountaineers earning a berth in the National Tournament slated March 20in Salina, KS.

Eastern Athletic Director Jerry Smith said this is the first time both Eastern teams have made the Region II finals in the same year and onlythe third time for the Ladies.

" The last time the Lady Mountaineers earned the Regional championship was in 1983," he said.

"When Connors changed defenses and took away our outside game we looked to Jennifer (Shaw) for the inside game and she responded," Coach DrewSanders, who is completing his third year as Lady Mountaineer coach,said.

"As long as I could get the ball inside . . . they couldn't stop me," Shaw said.

Eastern's men fell to Westark 66-45 in the finals squelching their hopes for the national tournament slated for Hutchinson, KA, next week.

Eastern Lady Mountaineers swept past Connors State College in a decisive 81-53 victory. The Ladies avenged an earlier loss to Connors bycrushing the conference foe.

Shaw from Richmond, VA, led the charge and was named the tournament'smost Valuable Player. She scored 24 points with eight rebounds followedby Channa Hays from Westville with 19 also named to All-Tournament Team;Laura Rodgers, Canadian, with 10; Summer Wafford, Wilburton 7; BrittneyKannady, Savanna, 6; Carrie Mosley, Konawa, 6; Amanda Burris, Webbers Falls, 5; Dee McGee, Ardmore, 2 and Carrie Brewton, Wellston, 2.

Carl Albert State College proved to be a feisty opponent in openinground play Friday when Eastern held on for a 71-68 victory after stavingoff a furious rally by the Lady Vikings. Northern College was unable tomount a serious threat after the Lady Mountaineers jumped to an earlylead they never relinquished stretching it to as much as 23 points inthe second half.

Wafford and Burris were named to the All Region II team with TobiasBrinkley and Michael Ignerski from the men's team also named to the All Region II team.