Margaret Cross And Jessie Blankenship Gather NCCAA Post-Season Honors

Posted March 16, 2011

LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN -- When the Lady Scots basketball team was beaten by King College in the NCCAA Mid-East region tournament last Friday night, Covenant’s 2010-11 campaign ended. The team finished the season with a disappointing 5-21 record, one that most would agree was not at all indicative of what the year was all about. The Lady Scots, under new head coach Corey Mullins, put a lot of time and effort into winning basketball games, time and effort that was not seen in the results. Of Covenant’s 21 defeats, 7 came by 10 or less points. In many of those games, the Lady Scots held a late lead but were unable to finish strong. Other times, the Lady Scots out-played their opponents over the course of 20 minutes but failed to put together two halves.

After Saturday’s championship game, two of the Lady Scots leaders were honored for their commitments and accomplishments this season. Junior guard Margaret Cross and freshman post Jessie Blankenship were announced as beneficiaries of the 2011 NCCAA Mid-East All-Region team.

Margaret Cross

Margaret, or simply “Mo,” earns the award for second team all-region after leading the Lady Scots in outside shooting. She averaged 42.8% from beyond the arc and was ranked #10 in the nation for that percentage at the end of the regular season. Cross added 296 points (11.4 per game) to her career total this season. She currently has 632 points to her name as a member of the Lady Scots basketball program.

“I am so proud of how Mo has led us both on and off the floor,” commented Mullins. “Mo is the right fit for this all-region team, both from a competitive prospective and for her heart for the Lord. Mo has attracted a lot of attention from other teams because she is such a great shooter. She has persevered through this season’s challenges and is very deserving of this award.”

Covenant Players Of The Week: 2010-11, Week 27: Margaret Cross And Taylor Oldham
Posted March 16, 2011

LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN -- The week twenty-seven honorees for Covenant’s player of the week award come from the women’s basketball team as well as the men’s baseball team. Margaret Cross, in the Lady Scots final game of the season, scored 14 points, but more impressively, her efforts all year helped her claim a spot on the NCCAA Mid-East All-Region team. Taylor Oldham, representing the male star of the week, wins the award for a big week that included 3 home runs.

Margaret Cross
Cross indeed capped off her stellar season with stellar minutes in the tournament semi-final against King College. She went 5 of 12 from the floor against an opponent that, no doubt, had her at the top of the scouting report. Cross was 4 of 7 from beyond the arc and grabbed 3 rebounds while taking 2 steals. Her season average of 11.4 points per game alongside 42.8% from long range helped her earn second team all-region.

For the complete list of Covenant Players of the Week, go to thePlayer of the Week page.