Photos Courtesy of Nick Dailey (@IDRSports)
Written By Rob Beckmann @Coach_Beckmann
The Independence Pirates Women's Basketball team won their 20th game of the season Wednesday night, defeating Coffeyville, 62-54. The victory was the Pirates' second this season over their cross-county rival Red Ravens. The triumph also matched Indy's win total from last season when the Pirates went 20-7 and won the NJCAA Region VI (Jayhawk) Championship and made a NJCAA National Tournament appearance for the first time in 25 years.
The Pirates now stand at 20-4 overall and 16-3 in the Jayhawk Conference, placing them first in the conference standings. According to the Massey Ratings, Independence has the 30th toughest strength of schedule in the country.
Indy Women's Basketball Head Coach Jim Turgeon has now put together back-to-back 20-win seasons in his first two years at the helm leading the Pirates.
"From the day I arrived here in August 2020, our players and assistant coaches have worked extremely hard for this," said Coach Turgeon. "I'm very proud of our squad and also very excited for what's to come."
At Coffeyville, Indy looked to maintain their 1st place position in the Jayhawk Conference standings and take down the Red Ravens again, after a dominant 68-54 win in their first meeting at the ICC Field House in December.
The Pirates took control early, establishing a 19-point lead in the second quarter, as they led 31-12. However, the Red Ravens surged back before the half, scoring 17 unanswered points and narrowing the Indy lead to 31-29.
A hard-fought second half went back and forth as Independence received key contributions from sophomore point guard Maisa Marcal and freshman forward Valentina Ojeda down the stretch. After hitting her first three-pointer of the season in the first half, Ojeda took control in the paint in the second, grabbing eight offensive rebounds (12 total) and leading all scorers in the game with 23.
Marcal continued her hot streak, blowing by defenders and finishing at the rim in crucial moments, helping the Pirates maintain their momentum. She finished the game with 11 points, three steals, and a pair of assists.
Coffeyville called a couple time-outs late, drawing up plays and trying to set up shooters to close the gap, but Independence doubled down on their defensive pressure and got stops to finish the game by dribbling out the finals seconds and taking home the 62-54 win.
Indy has five games left on their regular season schedule. Two home games remain – Monday, February 14th versus Dodge City, and Wednesday, February 23rd versus Butler. Both games are scheduled for 5:00PM CT in the ICC Field House. Live stream will be available through IndyPirates.com.
The Pirates' next match-up will be this Saturday on the road versus Pratt. Tip-off will be at 2:00PM CT.