Lady Knights Battle Hard but fall to Navy Prep

12.11.19

Warwick, R.I. – December 11, 2019: The CCRI Lady Knights basketball team hosted the Midshipmen Candidates from the Naval Academy Prep School (NAPS) from Newport, RI on Tuesday Evening at the Vincent A. Cullen Fieldhouse.  The Lady Knights lost to NAPS 67-44. However, the Lady Knights got word that they had been awarded a forfeit victory in their game versus Orange County November 12th.  With the victory and loss added to their schedule the Lady Knights are now 3-9 on the season. 

The Lady Knight have been going through a very tough stretch in their schedule playing tough opponent after tough opponent. And Tuesday evening was not different in the Naval Prep squad that featured ten very talented and tall players from all over the United States.   The CCRI offense got off to a good tart with scoring 14 points in the first quarter with five points apiece from freshman Jada Burton-Hall (Providence, RI) and Sophomore Co-Captain Nicole Chamberlain (West Warwick, RI).  However NAPS answered with eight points from Mackenzie Yim-Harvin  and six from Abigail Guidry to give the Naval Candidates a 23-14 lead at the end of the first quarter.  Navy Prep was able to keep their offense firing on all cylinders in the second quarter scoring 17 points while the CCRI offense fell flat with only five points to give NAPS a 40-19 halftime lead.

In past games this is where the Lady Knights would lose confidence or intensity but on Tuesday CCRI was not having it.  The Lady Knights came out of the halftime break with something to prove to themselves and the Navy Prep squad. CCRI played arguably their best quarter of defense of the entire season as they held the high powered NAPS line-up to 14 points which is not small feat when CCRI was outsized at every position. Intensity and relentlessness helped the Lady Knights pour in 19 points of their own led by six points from Janessa Perry (Charlestown, RI) who was all over the court, making steals getting deflections and ripping down rebounds while she scored six points including 4-4 from the free throw line in the quarter. Her effort also got NAPS’s Mackenzie Yim-Harvin in foul trouble with four fouls. Perry was helped by Jada Burton Hall who was also playing better defensively while scoring four points for CCRI.  Co-Captain Jazlynn Jimenez (Providence, RI) was also applying tremendous pressure at the point guard position to help get the Lady Knights in their transition offense while adding four points. Co-Captain Nicole Chamberlain added five more points including a 3-pointer to help CCRI cut the Navy Prep lead to 16 points 54-38 by the end of the third quarter.

Unfortunately for the Lady Knights all the effort they expelled in the third quarter came back to take its toll in the fourth as once again the CCRI offense stagnated and they only managed to score six points while Navy pre had 13 to go on to win by the final score of 67-44.  Though the scoreboard may not show it this was a definite positive step for the Lady Knights’ squad.  The team is very young but they are getting better every day and beginning to rust each other on the court and they will look to build upon this performance as they finish out the semester.

Leading the way for the Lady Knights was Jada Burton-Hall with a team-high 15 points including a 3-pointer with six rebounds and assist and a steal.  Janessa Perry had an excellent all-around game with nine points including 5-6 on free throws with nine rebounds, five steals, an assist and tremendous energy throughout the game.  Co-Captain Nicole Chamberlain added 11 points including two 3-pointers, four rebounds and three assists.  Co-Captain Jazlynn Jimenez added six points including a 3-pointer with four assists, four steals and three rebounds.

The next game for CCRI will be Thursday when they will travel to Fall River, MA to play the Bayhawks of Bristol Community College at 7pm in a Region XXI inter league game.

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The Community College of Rhode Island, New England's largest comprehensive community college, enrolls nearly 15,000 students in credit courses and thousands more in non-credit and job training classes. Its athletic program boasts 12 varsity programs and an academic support program for all student-athletes.