MCC Opens New Year with 63-38 Victory Over Navy Prep

January 5, 2013
MANCHESTER, CT – Haley Cole (Hebron) had 18 points and Arianna Rivera (Manchester) added 17 as Manchester CC (4-6) beat the U.S. Naval Academy Prep School 63-38 in a non-league game Saturday afternoon.

Ashanti Kennedy, a 5’9” recruit from Virginia Beach, VA, scored 30 of Navy Prep’s 38 points. Navy Prep (0-7) trailed 31-12 at halftime, but played much better in the second half when Kennedy scored 18 of her points.

Janell Smith (Malone, NY) and Ally Nuccio (Tolland) had career highs with 12 and eight points respectively for the Cougars. The pair also had career highs in rebounds – Smith with 11 and Nuccio with 10. Rivera contributed to the win 10 rebounds and eights assists.

Kayla Facey (Windsor) had four points while Brittanymarie Barber (East Hartford) and Kailee Doerfler (Tolland) added two appiece as all seven MCC players contributed to the scoring.

“We are starting to make our shots,” first year head coach Katie DaCosta said of her mostly young and inexperienced team. “In practice this week we took over 2000 shots. Many of them have not played before, so just the repitition and getting the shots up is building confidence.”

MCC travels to Northern Essex CC (Haverhill, MA) next Saturday, January 12, for a 1PM, Region 21 Division III game.