By JOE BUIE
Staff Writer, Tyler Morning Telegraph

A 16-point lead for Tyler Junior College melted away in the second half like the snowfall outside.

However, the Apaches survived the Panola storm when Byron Maxson hit a jumper with 2.7 seconds left in overtime to give TJC a 91-89 victory Saturday at Wagstaff Gymnasium.

The Apache Ladies dominated the Fillies in the opener, 84-53, for their fifth consecutive victory.

After Panola's Lorenzo McCloud missed the front end of a one-and-one free throw opportunity with 9.8 seconds left in regulation, Malcolm Moore scored on a putback with one second left to tie the contest at 81.

There were five lead changes in the exciting overtime, including TJC being up 87-84 and trailing 89-87.

Panola, looking to add to its lead, turned the ball over on a five-second violation that was forced by Mitch Marquis. Maxson scored off the turnover on a leaning one-handed shot just outside the lane to make it 89-89.

The Ponies missed a shot on the next possession and Marquis rebounded, setting up Moore's game-winning putback on the offensive rebound.

Moore, a 6-6 freshman forward from Iowa City, Iowa, led the Apaches (16-7, 9-6 Region XIV North) with 26 points and 10 rebounds. Maxson, a sophomore wing from New Orleans, was next with 19 points and seven assists.

Raschard Boatner poured in 22 points for Panola (12-12, 5-10), which shot 8-for-11 from the 3-point line after halftime and was 10-for-20 for the game.

The Ponies trailed 50-34 with 18 minutes left in the second half before making an 11-0 run and eventually taking the lead at the 6:12 mark.

"We weathered a storm that you don't see much in junior college," TJC head coach Mike Marquis said. "For us to weather that and go ahead and win the game is a credit to our kids' perseverance and sticking together. We stayed organized and actually made some good defensive plays late."

The Apache Ladies (21-6, 10-5) had two key players suspended for the game, but you couldn't tell it by the scoreboard. TJC beat the Fillies (10-14, 5-10) by 31 points after beating them by only three in December.

The Fillies like to shoot the three, but they were outdone by the Apache Ladies' 13 treys out of 33 attempts (39 percent).

Nakia Ollison, a 5-5 freshman from Carrollton, was 7-of-12 from the 3-point line for 23 points. She also had eight rebounds, six assists and four steals.

Reserve guard Kelly Johnstone, a freshman from Mesquite, made the most of her opportunity with a season-high 17 points as she was 4-for-7 behind the arc.

"Those two kids played well, they took open shots," Apache Ladies head coach Trenia Jones said. "We've been asking them to hit some threes. We brought them in for an extra practice the other day and we really worked on their 3-point shooting."

Panola cut a 12-point deficit to five early in the second half, but TJC took command with a 16-4 run that was highlighted by two Ollison 3-pointers.

-- -- --

Men

Tyler 91, Panola 89, OT

PANOLA -- Raschard Boatner, 22; Lorenzo McCloud, 5; Gary Cox, 13; Louis Ellis, 11; Charlton Jones, 7; Broc Willis, 6; Gibson Chigbu, 12; Terry Hines, 13.

FG

35-74

FT

9-15.

TYLER

-- Kyle Ford, 10; Mitch Marquis, 6; Brad Gay, 0; RJ Samuels, 10; Labree Sledge, 9; Johnathan Edwards, 11; Byron Maxson, 19; Malcolm Moore, 26.

FG

34-77

FT

16-24.

THREE POINT GOALS

-- PC (10-20): Boatner (4), McCloud, Ellis (3), Jones (2); TJC (7-22): Ford (2), Sledge (3), Maxson, Moore.

HALFTIME SCORE

-- Tyler 43-32.

TURNOVERS

-- PC: 18; TJC: 13.

RECORDS

-- Panola 12-12 (5-10); Tyler 16-7 (9-6).

NEXT UP

-- Trinity Valley at Panola, 7:30 p.m. Wednesday; Tyler at Navarro, 7 p.m. Wednesday.

EST. ATT.

-- 400

Women

Tyler 84, Panola 53

PANOLA -- Kaelynn Reyes, 0; Candace Virgadamo, 3; Ariel Billington, 11; Alicia Mitcham, 9; Kelsey Bardsley, 0; Tatsiana Zhurauliova, 17; Frederickia Washington, 0; Raven Alexander, 7; Larysa Latashava, 2; Jacquelyn Hearne, 4.

FG

17-53

FT

13-22.

TYLER

-- Britney Joseph, 4; Jasmine King, 11; Nakia Ollison, 23; Tajan Snowden, 4; Ervette Powell, 11; Angie Ramey, 2; CeMonay Newell, 3; Kelly Johnstone, 17; Latika Smith, 9.

FG

26-68

FT

19-33.

THREE POINT GOALS

-- PC (6-21): Billington (3), Mitcham, Zhurauliova, Alexander; TJC (13-33): Ollison (7), Powell, Newell, Johnstone (4).

HALFTIME SCORE

-- Tyler 36-30.

TURNOVERS

-- PC: 27; TJC: 18.

RECORDS

-- Panola 10-14 (5-10); Tyler 21-6 (10-5).

NEXT UP

-- Trinity Valley at Panola, 5:30 p.m. Wednesday; Angelina at Tyler, 5:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Link to Original Article:  http://tylerpaper.com/article/20100214/SPORTS06/2140345