Taylor sparks Skipjacks to critical road win
FREDERICK – It may not have been as big a win as the last time Chesapeake College was here, but it was still pretty significant.
Brittany Taylor scored a game-high 28 points, including 20 in the first half, as the Skipjacks defeated Frederick Community College, 71-67, Wednesday night on the same court that they won their first state women's basketball tournament title last February. Najah Chambers broke a 67-67 tie with two free throws and Taylor iced the win with two more as the Skipjacks (13-1 overall, 9-1 league) all but eliminated Frederick (13-8, 7-4) from the conference title chase.
"It felt good coming back to where we won," said Chesapeake head coach Damon Nichols, whose team is locked in a first-place race with Harford Community College (18-1, 7-1). "We cannot lose any more conference games. We've got to still win them all."
Frederick broke out to a 20-11 lead on the strength of two early spurts, but the Skipjacks answered with a pair of their own runs to build a 42-32 halftime cushion. Taylor had five points during a 13-3 surge, which included scoring from four Skipjacks, and Clyde (24 points) ended the spurt with consecutive jumpers as the Skipjacks regained the lead, 24-23.
Frederick took back the lead as Precious Shirk and Jasmine Walker hit layups, but the Skipjacks ran out the half with an 18-5 surge to build their double-digit halftime advantage. Taylor had eight points in the run, including a pair of 3-pointers and an open jumper on the break to finish off the first-half scoring.
"When we were down 20-11, I told Brittany, 'Turn the light switch on and let's go. Play your game; attack the basket,' " said Nichols. "She answered the call. If it wasn't for her in the first half, we would have been in trouble."
"Coach Nichols always tells me it starts with me," said Taylor, who also had a team-high seven assists. "I had to do something for them to follow my lead so we could be successful."
Frederick twice pulled within five points early in the second half, the second time on an inside jumper by Walker that made it 48-43. Chesapeake answered with a 7-0 surge, with Clyde scoring the first five points, and the Skipjacks eventually took their biggest lead at 60-47 on a Clyde layup.
But the Cougars refused to go away. Frederick put together a furious 20-7 run, including a slew of fast-break baskets before Jourdan Stanhope's three-point play that tied the game, 67-67, with 1:17 remaining.
"We played better defense the first half of the season than we're playing now," said Nichols, who benched an entire five-player unit for defensive lapses during Frederick's game-tying run. "I pulled the whole five out because they were giving up layups and wide-open 3-pointers.
"We tend to take breaks on defense," added Nichols. "When you take breaks, that's when other teams go on runs. The game shouldn't have been that close, but that's what happens when you don't play defense."
The Skipjacks, however, pulled themselves together down the stretch.
Chambers, fouled on an inside shot, hit both free throws with 33.1 seconds remaining to put the Skipjacks ahead to stay. Sydney Small then came up with the defensive play of the game, deflecting a pass on the sideline that went out of bounds off Shirk with 19.4 seconds remaining to turn the ball back to the Skipjacks.
Taylor, fouled on the Skipjacks' ensuing possession, knocked down both ends of her one-and-one to seal the win with 14.4 seconds left.
Chambers joined Taylor and Clyde in double figures for Chesapeake with 10 points. Shakena Williams led Frederick with 24 points and Walker added 14.
Notes: Clyde led Chesapeake with eight rebounds. . . .
The Skipjacks' game against the College of Southern Maryland, originally ruled a forfeit, will likely be played. Nichols said the two colleges are trying to find a mutually agreeable date to reschedule the contest, cancelled last Friday when the Hawks did not have enough players available to play the game.