Box Score by John Hackney
WILSON, N.C.-A running 3-pointer by Barton newcomer Jadda Jefferies rimmed out at the buzzer Wednesday night, allowing visiting Mount Olive to escape The Dog House with a 70-67 Conference Carolinas women's basketball victory.
The loss ended a three-game league win streak for Barton, the three-time defending Conference Carolinas regular-season champs, and propelled Mount Olive to first place in the East Division standings at 4-0 and 10-3 overall. The Trojans, who had lost six straight to the Lady Bulldogs, have now won seven straight games. Barton, which shot a meager 33.3 percent from the floor, stumbled to 8-5 overall and 3-1 in the league.
Mount Olive came out hot in the first half, hitting 5-of-7 from 3-point range en route to a 39-30 lead at intermission. Jasmine McDonald drilled 14 points and hit two treys and Andrea Jones canned 11 points with a trio of 3-pointers to give Mount Olive a nice cushion. Barton went 0-5 from downtown in the first 20 minutes and did not hit a trey until just under 12 seconds left in the game (1-10 overall).
Senior guard Jannetta Robinson swished a couple of baskets in an 8-3 Barton run to start the second half, trimming the MOC lead to 42-38. The teams traded buckets during the next four minutes before Barton junior center Janae Jackson made a layup to make it 45-43 Mount Olive with 12:24 remaining. That was as close as Barton would get.
Mount Olive went on a 10-0 run to take a commanding 55-43 lead with 8:58 showing. Jones scored on two layups and swished a jumper during the key run. The Trojans kept the lead around 10 points until Barton made a final push in the last four minutes.
Jefferies, who just joined the Lady Bulldogs after the mid-year break, started the Lady Bulldogs' comeback with a 3-point play at the 3:58 mark. A pair of free throws by Robinson and BC sophomore Nyeshea Willie were sandwiched around a jumper by MOC's Tamara Nesmith. Junior Shante Neal then scored inside off a nifty pass from Jefferies to pull Barton within 66-62 with 48 seconds left.
Jasmine McDonald netted two free throws for the Trojans and Barton countered with a follow shot from junior Jolanda Mitchell. Nesmith canned two foul shots with 17 seconds left to give MOC a 70-64 lead. Barton raced down the court and Jefferies found Willie in the left corner for the Lady Bulldogs' lone trey, making it 70-67 with 11.9 showing.
Barton fouled Destinee Webb at 5.6 seconds and she missed both foul shots. Mitchell snared the rebound and hit Jefferies with the outlet pass. Her running 3-point attempt rattled of the rim, helping Mount Olive avoid overtime and leave with a rare victory in Wilson Gym.
Barton dominated the backboards, 49-36. Mount Olive was 23-of-52 from the floor for 44.2 percent while Barton made just 25-of-75 for 33.3 percent. The Trojans were 19-of-31 from the foul line for 61 percent while Barton was 16-of-22 for 72.7 percent.
Jones finished with a game-high 19 points, McDonald scored 18 and Nesmith tallied 14 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and three steals. Alyssa Luebs accounted for seven points and 11 rebounds.
For Barton, Robinson scorched the nets for 7-of-11 accuracy on the way to 16 points while Willie scored 15 points and pulled nine rebounds. Neal and Mitchell both flirted with double-doubles with nine points and nine rebounds apiece.
Barton plays Erskine at home Saturday night at 5:30 while Mount Olive entertains Lees-McRae at 2 p.m. Saturday.
