Box Score QUINCY, Ill. – Parkland women's basketball picked up a victory in its final regular season road game of the regular season on Saturday, defeating John Wood 77-48. Winning by its largest margin of victory since January 4 against Kishwaukee (93-46), forwards
Micah Tapscott and
Emily Meinert led the Cobras with 18 points, while
Crystal Mathis (13 points) and Gemma Rescasens (11 points) also reached double figures. Meinert also added 10 rebounds to record her fifth double-double of the season.
Sweeping the season series against John Wood, Parkland outscored the Blazers in each of the first three quarters, including two by double digits. Parkland shot 53-percent as a team, including 71-percent in the first half, while grabbing 11 of its 27 rebounds on the offensive end. Of its 33 made field goals, the Cobras recorded an assist on 20 of the baskets, led by five from Gemma Rescasens.
Led by their forwards, Tapscott scored 14 of her 18 points in the first half and Meinert controlled the paint in the second half with 10 of her 18 points. Tallying her first double-double since December 28, Meinert matched her scoring total from Parkland's February 2 victory over the Blazers. Both efficient in their scoring, Meinert (8-12) and Tapscott (9-13) combined to shoot 68-percent from the field.
Recasens and Mathis led the Parkland backcourt, combining for 24 points and three three-pointers between them. Rescasens also added five assists, while Mathis contributed three steals on the defensive end.
Jump-starting the afternoon was a 26-point first quarter that put Parkland ahead by 12 points after the first quarter. Led by 10 first-quarter points from Tapscott, the Cobras used a 16-2 run to turn an early 7-4 deficit into a 20-9 lead. After five straight Blazer points cut the lead back to six points, Tapscott ended the quarter with three straight buckets for a 26-14 lead.
Pushing the lead out to 19 points with an 18-11 second quarter advantage, Meinert led the quarter with six points. Leading by as much as 21 points, John Wood cut the lead to 13 midway through the period before a 12-6 run to end the half kept the Blazers are arms' length.
Taking a 19-point lead into the second half, the Cobras cushioned the lead with an 11-point advantage in the third period. Getting production from a variety of sources, Rescasens started the half off the same way she ended the first half with a steal and layup at the other end. Two Meinert putbacks and a pair of threes – one from
Alexus Cole and another from Rescasens – to keep the lead above 20 points. Leading by 22 late in the quarter, Tapscott and Mathis scored four points each in the closing minutes, highlighted by a give-and-go sequence that resulted in a Mathis layup to beat the buzzer.
Holding a 66-36 lead entering the final period, Parkland maintained its lead throughout the final period. Five different Cobras scored in the final l0 minutes, led by four points from Meinert, as the Cobras held on for the 29-point victory.
Up next, Parkland will host its final two regular season games on Wednesday (2/27) against No. 1 Illinois Central and on Saturday (3/2) against Lewis & Clark. Region 24 competition begins the following week on March 6.
