A year to the date, the Lady Golden Bears of Miles College defeated the Lady Golden Tigers of Tuskegee, winning back-to-back Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) Championships. This year’s matchup for the Lady Golden Bears in the SIAC Women’s Basketball Championship game was Lane College Lady Dragons, led by Coach Dixon. The Lady Dragons won their first SIAC Women’s Basketball Championship in 2009 when Coach Anderson was at the helm, beating Kentucky State.
Coach Dixon, hoping to bring the second SIAC Women’s Basketball Championship back to Lane College, came up short in the Championship game. The Lady Dragons showed their ability to make defensive stops against Albany State, who they were down 9 points late in the fourth quarter, winning the game on a last-second basket by Dyani Bernstein, sending them to the championship game. The Lady Dragons coaching staff was on top of their game, making in-game adjustments, allowing the team to get back in the game when they were down due to turnovers and missed shots, and was able to erase the Lady Golden Bears’ 12-point lead by out-rebounding them on the offensive end of the court 26 to 14.
Dyani Bernstein scored 11 points and grabbed 8 rebounds, which were key throughout the game. The Lady Golden Bears looked a bit worn down, slowing the pace of the game because the Lady Dragons’ fast pace was taking a toll on them, allowing them to get back in the game. Miles College Makayla Rieves ability to secure rebounds in key moments during the second half of the game kept the Lady Dragons from additional attempts to make baskets that would cut the lead like they were able to in the first half of the game. Rieves scored 11 points and grabbed 15 rebounds, and Nayla Wesley scored 9 points and grabbed 7 rebounds. Shannon Niles scored 10 points and grabbed 2 rebounds, adding 2 steals.
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The Lady Dragons’ 4-minute scoring drought in the 4th quarter allowed the Lady Golden Bears to increase their lead to 6 points, and they played situational basketball by waiting until late in the shot clock before attempting a basket. Lane College Lauren Lain scored 13 points, and Kamil Washum scored 11 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals. Miles College Freshman Golden Bears point guard Samarian Franklin showed that she was ready for the big moment lead the Coach Asmond team to their third consecutive SIAC Women’s Basketball Championship. Franklin scored 12 points, 1 rebound, with 4 assists, and was named the SIAC Women’s Basketball Championship Tournament MVP. Miles College defeated Lane College 59-52.
