Pendulums, teeter-totters, ocean waves.
All things that crest and fall.
Like the women’s basketball game between Concord and Shepherd Wednesday night.
Momentum swung for all 40 minutes, and in the end the Lady Lions seized it and claimed a thrilling 94-93 victory in front of a stunned Butcher Center in Shepherdstown, WV.
The first half featured ten ties and 12 lead changes and a 50-50 tie at the break. The Rams then appeared to take control with an 11-1 run in the first 2:10 of the second half. Shepherd repulsed numerous Concord comeback attempts, and held an 89-79 lead after Jerica Hewitt sank a three-pointer with 4:59 left.
A few moments later, momentum shifted again.
Four straight points by Sydney Lindsey drew Concord within 89-83 with 4:01 to go. Hewitt turned the ball over, leading to a pair of free throws from Camisha Alexander to get CU within 89-85. On Shepherd’s next trip, Kristin Kidd stole the ball, feeding Alexander for a layup and an 89-87 score with 3:31 to go.
The Rams then appeared to reclaim the momentum with a layup and two free throws from Camille Wilmer to extend their lead to a seemingly-insurmountable 93-87 with only 1:15 left.
The Lady Lions claimed the momentum right back.
Lindsey drove from the right corner to the basket and fired a pass to Holly Bibb, who drained a pressure-packed three-pointer to cut the Concord deficit in half with 1:05 remaining.
Momentum then got flighty.
Wilmer missed a jumper on Shepherd’s next trip, but Alexander traveled to give the Rams the ball back with :42 to go. Hewitt rushed a jumper and missed with 17 seconds on the shot clock. Lindsey grabbed the rebound, was fouled, and sank two free throws to get Concord within 93-92 with :18 left.
Alexander then forced a Shepherd turnover and sprinted away for a layup and a 94-93 lead with just :06.5 to go. Shepherd was able to work upcourt and Hewitt forced up a shot in heavy traffic, but the ball settled into Kidd’s hands and the Lady Lions celebrated their surprising victory.
Jolysa Brown topped Concord with 29 points, shooting 9-13 from the field and 11-14 from the free throw line. She also grabbed eight rebounds.
Alexander – the reigning WVIAC Co-Player of the Week -- added 21 points. Kidd finished with 13 points and five rebounds. Lindsey, playing in just her third game after missing six weeks with an ankle injury, ended the night with 18 points and six rebounds. She shot 6-10 from the field and 3-3 from three-point range.
Shepherd saw six players score in double figures, paced by 19 Wilmer’s 19 points. Emily Daniel posted a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds, along with four assists.
Concord secured a better-than-.500 season by improving to 14-12, 11-10 in the WVIAC, with one regular-season game left.
The Lady Lions host Bluefield State Saturday afternoon, part of ‘Girls and Women In Sports Day’ at the Carter Center. The game will tip off at 2:00 pm and will be broadcast on Classic Rock 102 The River starting at 1:30 pm.