SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – The No. 9 ranked Parkland College women’s basketball team traveled to Lincoln Land Community College short-handed on Saturday, February 25th, and the Cobras fell 63-58 to the Loggers. Sophomore Kenzey Decker (11 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists) cut the Parkland deficit to just three with under a minute left, but the team couldn’t complete the comeback on Saturday. Freshman Abby Shepard (13 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists) led the Cobras in scoring in the loss, Parkland’s first on the road this season after a 10-0 start.
“I am nothing but proud of the effort and fight from our ladies today,” head coach Laura Litchfield said after the loss. “They battled it out for 40 minutes and played until the final whistle.”
The Cobras (21-3) (8-2) struggled out of the gate, trailing 8-0 in the first two minutes of the game before sophomore Jennifer Heinberg hit back-to-back threes to cut the Loggers (19-8) (5-5) lead to 12-10 with 5:40 to go in the first quarter. Parkland trailed 23-17 at the start of the second, but a 7-2 Cobra run to open the quarter cut the team’s deficit to just one with 7:51 remaining in the first half. Lincoln Land controlled the glass, outrebounding Parkland 21-12 in the first half, and forced the Cobras to turn the ball over 13 times as the Loggers went into halftime with a 41-33 lead. Lincoln Land led by as many as 14 points with 7:07 left in the third quarter before a Parkland 8-0 run made for a 47-41 with just under three minutes to go. The Cobras trailed 50-41 at the start of the fourth quarter, but the defensive intensity picked up in the final period. Abby Shepard knocked down two free throws to make the score 55-50 with 4:33 on the clock as Lincoln Land slowed things down. Mallory Cyrulik cut the deficit to 61-56 with 1:05 remaining, and a Heinberg steal followed by a Kenzey Decker jumper led to a 61-58 score with 58 seconds left, but Lincoln Land hit their free throws late, and Parkland fell short 63-58.
Statistical Overview:
- Abby Shepard: 13 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists
- Brooke Runge: 12 points, 5 rebounds
- Kenzey Decker: 11 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists
- Mallory Cyrulik: 11 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists
Up next, the Cobras host No. 19 Illinois Central on Sophomore Night on Wednesday, March 1st. Tip-off against the Cougars (17-9) (5-4) will be at 5:30 PM at the Donald C. Dodds Jr. Athletic Complex.
