The weekend trip to Arizona for the Panthers was a successful one. After an impressive showing over Central Arizona on Friday night, the opportunity to earn a pair of victories over the elite competition was there for the taking on Saturday afternoon.
It was a 73-45 win over NJCAA Division I program Central Arizona on Friday where the momentum began. The 28-point victory was a collective team effort like usual, as they combined for 14 made three-pointers.
"It was great to clear the cobwebs after traveling. We are a work in progress and saw some good things (versus Central Arizona) in our offensive execution in getting good looks from the outside. This game was a great preparation for our game (Saturday) to face a very good ranked Mesa team," said assistant coach Kevin McManaman
The perimeter play was sensational last season, finishing with the second-most made three-point field goals in the country (NJCAA, Division II).
They haven't missed a beat through four games and the efficient numbers they are achieving from beyond the arc have been impressive against the stellar competition.
In the Friday night victory, Mia Simpson dominated in all facets. Putting up 36 minutes of game action allowed her to feast on rebounding the basketball. Collecting six offensive boards (12 total), six assists, five steals, a three-pointer, and 14 points certainly had an impact on the victory.
Simpson made six of eight shots from the floor, and she was the Division II leader last season in the NJCAA for field-goal percentage (64.2%).
After the Friday victory, the Panthers had a showdown with No. 8 Mesa. The Thunderbirds are a tremendous squad that reached Port Huron last season, which hosted the NJCAA Division II National Tournament.
The game was a challenge in the early going as they were trailing by nine points in the first quarter and eight at halftime. The Panthers clawed their way back to victory, 78-72. We saw the No. 2 squad outscore Mesa by 14 in the second half.
"I am really, really proud of how the girls responded in the second half after not playing very well early in that game. We showed a little resilience and that is a positive. Mesa is very good. Well coached. We really did an outstanding job of defending in the second half to get the win," said head coach Jason Nichols.
Mesa is very good and it turns out so is Simpson. She had a pair of dominating performances over the weekend. The second matchup of the weekend looked like her best of the weekend in a game that went down to the wire.
Simpson posted 19 points, 11 rebounds, and a pair of blocks to go along with a steal and an assist. She knocked down another three-pointer, played 35 minutes, and was perfect from the floor making all eight of her shot attempts.
The ability to rebound the ball and lead the fast break with such an effective and efficient frantic pace allows other shooters to get open looks.
Also, we have seen it against elite competition in the past handful of games for the Panthers. The star guard came off the bench last season and was impressive in the Region IV Championship as well as in the NJCAA Nationals.
"Every possession matters, we need to execute and dominate in every aspect of the game," said Simpson after her stellar performance.
Claire Hyde continued her torrid pace to the season, chipping in with 21 points and four made three-pointers. She even had six assists and six rebounds to give Morton a potent starting lineup on both ends of the floor.
Kaylen Evans added a dozen while playing 28 minutes and was perfect from the charity stripe (4-4). She has now dropped double figures in all four games this season.
There were also pair of returning starters from last season's national runner-ups that made an impact on more than just the box score. Frannie Metz and Jalyssa Carrasco were instrumental to the team's success last season.
Carrasco can play a full 40 minutes and often has. Metz plays positionless basketball to perfection with the squad's ability to space the floor and find open shooters in the rhythm ready to fire away.
"Today's game was the first time we were really challenged in the regular season. In the first half and the beginning of the third, we were not playing well at all. It was a comeback and win that was a huge team effort and a huge step in the right direction for our team this year. Coach called a timeout in the third quarter and that is when our momentum really changed and we knew that we had to step up or we would be hit with our first loss," said star forward Frannie Metz.
"The game was definitely a battle from beginning to end, but there was a noticeable energy shift that started with the bench and that was what really helped us fight through the wall," said Jalyssa Carrasco.
The No. 2 Panthers are 4-0 and will go back home to host Olive-Harvey next Thursday (11/17).
The schedule doesn't cool off as there will be more upper-echelon teams waiting in the wings. Muskegon, Bryant & Stratton, and Illinois Central are all quickly coming up on the docket. The Panthers were sensational in Arizona and will look forward to more challengers.
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