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Simmons drops 42 in Viqueen win

By RICKEY CLARDY ~ Sports Writer
Posted 12/19/22

UNIONVILLE — M.J. Simmons dominated the scoring with 42 points as the Community Viqueens rebounded from a slow start to defeat the Franklin Road Christian Minutemen 75-47 in a basketball …

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Simmons drops 42 in Viqueen win

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UNIONVILLE — M.J. Simmons dominated the scoring with 42 points as the Community Viqueens rebounded from a slow start to defeat the Franklin Road Christian Minutemen 75-47 in a basketball contest Thursday night.
Simmons scored her points in 26 minutes of action as the Viqueens took control late in the second quarter and won for the fifth game in a row.
Despite eight points from Simmons in the opening quarter, the Minutemen stayed close with Community (7-3) from the outset as the Viqueens took a 16-12 lead to the second quarter.
The Minutemen had no answer for Simmons in the quarter as the senior netted 17 points.
But FRC used an 18-point quarter of its own to take a 24-23 advantage before a shot by Simmons gave the Viqueens the lead for good at 25-24 with 2:54 remaining.
The Viqueens ended the quarter with 22 points and edged out to a 38-30 halftime lead.
"We did not come out and set the tone like we have the last few games," Coach Cody Pierce of the Viqueens said. "It took us awhile to get going."
"It was a disappointing first half but we bounced back in the second half and played like we have been," Pierce added.
The Community defense rose to the forefront in the third quarter as the Viqueens extended their lead.
Simmons scored 10 points in the quarter before picking up her fourth foul and coming out of the game with 1:45 left as the Minutemen could only muster five points.
The Viqueens took a 55-35 lead to the final quarter.
Simmons scored seven points and Haley Mitchell added six in the quarter as Community took a 70-40 lead with 4:40 remaining before the Viqueen reserves took over midway through the quarter as the game ended with a running clock.
Mitchell added three treys and nine points for the Viqueens.
Kayte Madison Bjornstad led the Minutemen with 19 points.
The Viqueens were 15-of-18 at the free throw line while FRC was 10-of-19.
The inside scoring of Simmons and the Viqueens put the Community offense in another gear.
"Especially when you're playing badly, it's going to happen from time to time, but throwing the ball inside takes care of a lot of things that are going wrong," Pierce said.

FRC 12 18 5 12 — 47
Community 16 22 17 20 — 75

FRC: Kayte Madison Bjornstad 19, Presley Applegate 10, Allie Lowhorn 6, Bryleigh Dempsey 4, Gracie Tidwell 2, Karis Moore 4, Anora Golden 2, Melena Wood, Ellee English, Daisy Damerville.
Community: M. J. Simmons 42, Haley Mitchell 9, Zoey Dixon 6, Addison Brothers 6, Shelby Cawthon 2, Anna Haskins 5, Stevie Dickenson 3, Kathryn Sego 2, Jayla Mangrum, Jacey Collier, Raegan Haley, Izzy Martinez, Annie Prince.
3-Point goals: FRC (1): Applegate; Community (6): Mitchell 3, Brothers 2, Dickenson.
Halftime score: Community 38, FRC 30.