Kilgore College women win Region XIV basketball title

Published 4:55 pm Sunday, March 16, 2025

BAYTOWN — Kilgore College Head Basketball Coach Stephanie Williams knew a run was coming from arch-rival Tyler Junior College here Saturday. She also knew her team could handle that run.

It did, and they did, and now the KC Lady Rangers are headed to the NJCAA National Tournament for the first time since 1993.

Kilgore built a 15-point lead in the fourth quarter, but had to hold off a late charge by the Apache Ladies to earn a 67-58 win in the championship game of the Region XIV Conference Basketball Tournament at Lee College.

The Lady Rangers improve to 23-9 with the win and will participate in the national tournament March 25-April 1 in Casper, Wyoming. Tyler ends the year with a 21-12 record.

It didn’t come easy for the Lady Rangers, and Williams knew it wouldn’t.

“I just told them to stay poised,” Williams said of her visit with the Lady Rangers after Tyler trimmed a 15-point deficit down to one in the fourth quarter.

“I told them we were built for this. We played a lot of Top 15 teams this year to get us ready for this, and we played a lot of close games. Just finish it.”

Freshman Anyla Herbert did just that, scoring six points in the final 2:31 of the contest to help Kilgore pull away.

“When I got here, I said I wanted to honor the legacy of Evelyn Blalock,” Williams said of the Lady Ranger legendary coach who started the program and won more than 400 games and three national titles.”

“I wanted to make her proud. I wanted to make Ranger Nation proud, but most of all I wanted to make God proud. I give him all the glory, and I know coach Blalock is smiling down on us today.”

Kilgore ended the third quarter with a step-back 3-pointer by Jarahle Daniels to take a 53-41 lead into the final 10 minutes, and then outscored the Apache Ladies 4-1 to open the final stanza — all of the points coming from Herbert — to go on top 57-42.

Two free throws form Daniels with 7:09 left again pushed the lead to 15 (59-44), but the Apache Ladies refused to go away.

Ten days after defeating Kilgore in double overtime to close out the regular season, Tyler decided to make KC sweat by going on a 14-0 run that cut the deficit to one point at 59-58 with 3:23 left.

Taler Thornton led the outburst for Tyler with six points, but the Apache Ladies would not score again after a bucket from Clementina Odom.

Herbert hit one of two free throws to stop the bleeding for Kilgore, and then drove the lane for a layup off a dish from Daniels, scoring, drawing a foul and hitting her bonus free throw.

Herbert had another free throw and layup late, and then Daniels put the game away at the free throw line by sinking two free throws with 43 seconds left to make the final 67-58.

Kilgore never trailed in the contest, scoring the first six points of the game before Tyler stormed back to tie things at 8-8 with 3:52 left in the opening quarter.

The Lady Rangers led 18-14 after one and built a 13-point lead midway through the second on a short jumper and a free throw from tournament MVP Nakiyah Allen.

The lead was 33-26 at the half, but TJC again battled back and made it a 35-31 game early in the third on two free throws from Monica Bottley. Herbert finished with a team-leading 16 points to go along with six rebounds. Allen added 12 points and four rebounds, Madison Bob 12 points, , six rebounds, six assists, three blocks and two steals, Daniels 10 points, nine rebounds, five assists and three steals, Ja’Sani Green eight points and three rebounds, Lucy Henderson two points and four rebounds and Brooklyn King two points.

Bob and Daniels were named to the All-Tournament team from KC.

Tyler was paced by Da’Lonna Coice with 18 points. Taler Thornton added 10 points and six steals, Kyra Anderson nine points and six rebounds, Bottley eight points, three rebounds and two assists, Fenishka Bertho five points and four rebounds, Grace Ezebilo four points, nine rebounds and three assists and Clementina Odom four points.

Ezebilo and Anderson were all-tournament picks from Tyler.