Panola College
November 10, 2015 - The Panola College Men's basketball team split their games this weekend at the Trinity Valley Classic. On Friday night the Ponies defeated Southwestern Christian Community College 95-73. In the second game, Panola was upended by Dodge City Community College 72-54. "Earning a split during a classic is always a positive." said head coach Grant McMillan. "If we continue to grow from our mistakes we have a chance to put together something special." he added. After this weekend’s games the Ponies bring their record to 4-2.
Game 1 - Verse Southwestern Christian CC
Panola jumped out quick and took a 14-5 lead to start the game. They pushed the lead to 24 points in the first half before going to the locker room with a lead, 53-33. Southwestern closed the gap to 14 points with just under 8:00 minutes to go but never got any closer.
Five separate players scored in double figures. Leading the way was Chan Williams-Bey (Hartford, Connecticut) with 17. Other in double figures include Charles Tucker (Lansing, Michigan) scored 16, Terry Holt (Nashville, Tennessee) with 13, and Jonathon Wiley (Houston, Texas) with 11. Devyn Wilson (Brooklyn, New York) had his best scoring of the game of the young season, netting 13 points off the bench. Williams-Bey recorded a double-double adding 10 rebounds and Tucker led the team in assists with seven. All 11 Ponies who suited up scored. As a team, Panola shot 56 percent from the field and forced Southwestern into 17 turnovers.
Game 2 – Verse Dodge City CC
In a game where offense was lacking, Panola found themselves down 39-33 at halftime. Panola scored the first two points of the second half but could never gather enough momentum to inch any closer. Panola shot an ice cold 26 percent from the field and 17 percent from the three point line for the game.
Tucker had a team high 17 points in the defeat on 6 of 7 shooting. Holt and Williams-Bey also scored in double-figures with 11 and 10, respectively. Wiley recorded a team high 10 rebounds. Panola's bench only scored four points in the loss. As a team the Ponies gave up 19 offensive rebounds.
After playing six D1 junior colleges in nine days, Panola gets to open up the newly renovated Arthur Johnson Gym this upcoming Friday, November 13th. Tipoff is set for 7:30 pm on the campus of Panola College.
November 10, 2015 - Panola Volleyball is proud to announce several Fillies received all-conference accolades this season, and freshman Morgan Currie (College Station, TX) was named Libero of the Year for Region XIV-North.
Currie, a former Rouse High School standout, established her presence early with her big-time defensive plays, earning 4.48 digs per set, 53 assists and 20 aces on the year. She posted 15 or more digs in 22 of 35 matches played in this season, with a season-high of 34 digs coming in a 5-set victory against Brookhaven. In conference she took her game to a new level, recording 20 or more digs on eight different occasions against Region XIV opponents. Currie is the first Panola player named Libero of the Year since Nausheen Merchant received the honor in 2012.
Joining Currie on the 1st Team All-Conference list is fellow freshman right side hitter from South San Francisco, CA, Sharon Tukuaoga. Tukuaoga led the Fillies offensively this year in total kills (371) and kills per set (2.88), while also contributing 88 total blocks and 55 digs. She reached double-digit kills in 22 of 36 matches played including a season-best of 22 kills against Wharton County Junior College, and hit .300 or better in 18 different contests.
Freshman Ana Carolina Oliveira (Sao Paulo, Brazil) made an immediate impact for the Fillies in multiple areas this year, earning 2nd Team All-Conference honors for her efforts. Oliveira was second on the team in total kills this season with 329, but she was all over the Fillies stat sheet with 374 total digs, 39 total blocks, a team-leading 41 aces, and 202 assists. She saw her role increase from outside hitter to also include setter when a devastating injury sidelined sophomore setter Sierra Moses for the Regional Tournament, but she responded admirably with a gutsy performance against Wharton County in the opening round that included 19 kills on .421 hitting, 28 assists, 12 digs and a solo block to prove instrumental in the Fillies thrilling comeback win. Her all-around performance secured her a place on the prestigious 2915 Region XIV All-Tournament team.
Joining Oliveira on the 2nd Team All-Conference list was sophomore Brittany Lampkin after receiving the same honor as a freshman. Lampkin was fourth on the team with 235 kills on the year, and was second in the entire Region XIV-North conference in blocks per set with 1.06. Her best match of the season came in the team's first battle with Wharton County, when she notched 12 kills on .375 hitting.
Rounding out All-Conference awards, the Fillies also had several players receive Honorable Mention recognition for their efforts this season. Sophomores Adriana Skipper (Grand Prairie, TX), Sierra Moses (Round Rock, TX), and Leiyona Young (Las Cruces, NM), along with freshmen Victoria Baptista Santos (Sao Paulo, Brazil) and Rachel Henderson (Fort Worth, TX). Skipper led the team with 756 total assists this year, 251 digs and 20 aces. Moses added 613 assists, 166 digs and 17 aces. Young led the entire conference with 1.16 blocks per set along with 117 total kills. Baptista Santos was another crucial all-around player for the Fillies, tallying 187 kills, 385 digs, 59 total blocks and 24 aces. Henderson was third on the team in total kills despite missing two conference matches with an injury, tallying 250 on the year in addition to 45 digs, 135 total blocks and a 1.05 blocks per set stat good enough for third overall in conference.
"We always preach a team-first mentality, but individual accolades are a strong reflection of a program as well," said Fillies volleyball Head Coach Amber McCray. "We get to witness first-hand all of the hard work these student-athletes put in every day, so it's great to see them rewarded for their efforts."
November 10, 2015 - The Panola College Volleyball team put together another solid run this past weekend at the Region XIV Conference tournament at Tyler Junior College, but finished third place and just one win short of extending the season by earning a bid to the NJCAA National Tournament after falling to San Jacinto-Central College Sunday afternoon, 13-25, 25-18, 11-25, 25-17, 12-15.
The Fillies opened the tournament Friday with a thrilling come from behind victory against Wharton County Junior College: 16-25, 19-25, 25-22, 25-19, 18-16. Freshman outside hitter Ana Carolina Oliveira led the Fillies with 19 kills on .421 hitting, 28 assists, 12 digs and a solo block.
Freshman Sharon Tukuaoga and sophomore Brittany Lampkin joined her in double-digit kills with 15 and 11, respectively. Sophomore Leiyona Young posted an impressive 8 total blocks for the match, while the background defense was anchored by the freshman trio of Morgan Currie leading with 25 digs, followed by Victoria Baptista Santos (17) and Oliveira (12). Sophomore Adriana Skipper led with 30 assists.
The Fillies then had to bounce back quickly from a 0-3 sweep in the Saturday morning match against eventual tournament champion Blinn College to take down Lee College in three sets, 25-22, 25-23, and 25-23. Tukuaoga led a balanced Panola attack that match with 11 kills, followed by Lampkin (9), Oliveira (8), freshman Rachel Henderson (7) and Young (4). Four players tallied double-digit digs: Currie (18), sophomore Kendal Savarino (13), Oliveira (12), and Baptista Santos (10).
Panola then found themselves in another elimination game for their third contest of the day, this time matched with conference-rival Tyler Junior College. A strong, balanced performance gave the Fillies the victory in four sets: 25-23, 21-25, 25-19, 25-19. All six Panola hitters tallied 6 or more kills led by 12 kills on .333 hitting from Tukuaoga, followed by Henderson (9 kills on .320 hitting), Young (7 kills on .400 hitting), and Oliveira, Lampkin, and Baptista Santos all adding 6 kills apiece. The Fillies were a dominant blocking force at the net, tallying a season-high 30 block assists and 11 solos to TJC's 14 block assists and only 2 solos. The staggering blocking numbers included 8 block assists and 4 solos from Young alone, in addition to 7 block assists from Lampkin, 5 from Baptista Santos and 5 solo blocks from Henderson. Panola was stellar behind the block as well, receiving 25 digs from Currie, 11 from Savarino and 11 from Baptista Santos. Oliveira led with 22 assists, followed closely by Skipper chipping in 20.
With only three teams left standing in Region XIV, Panola returned to action in a Sunday afternoon showdown with San Jacinto-Central in a fight to earn the second bid to Nationals after Blinn College punched their ticket with a straight sweep over the Ravens Saturday evening.
It was a game of momentum, and after the Fillies struggled early, both teams traded sets to force a decisive fifth and final set to 15. The two evenly-matched squads traded points again and were tied as late as 11-11, before the Ravens composed a 4-1 scoring run to finish the match and earn a spot in the conference championship that also guaranteed a trip to Casper,Wyoming for the NJCAA National Tournament November 19-21.
Oliveira led the Fillies offensively in the 5-set heartbreaker with 15 kills, followed by 11 from Tukuaoga and 10 from Rachel Henderson. Four Fillies tallied double-digit digs, led this time by Baptista Santos with 21, followed by Oliveira (16), Currie (14), and Skipper (12).
The all-around performance of freshman Ana Carolina Oliveira all weekend secured her a place on the prestigious Region XIV All-Tournament team, one of only seven players in the entire tournament to receive such recognition.
The Fillies finished the 2015 season with an overall record of 30-9, with 7 of 9 losses coming to Top 20-ranked opponents, and a 3rd Place overall finish in the competitive Region XIV conference.
"It's disappointing falling short of nationals when we were just a game away for the second year in a row," said Head Coach Amber McCray. "But our girls battled so much adversity to play their hearts out all weekend, and I'm very proud of the way we competed and represented Panola College these past few days and all year."
November 7, 2015 - Although Laura Chavez put 32 points on the scoreboard, Panola College fell to Seminole State 73-72.
Fillies out shined Seminole State during the second half of the game, but it wasn't enough to reverse Seminole State's strong first half.
Chavez had the edge for Panola College's offense, scoring 32 points, including 15 during the third period.
J'Lene Martinez put two three-pointers on the board and scored six points total. Also helping the effort for Panola College were Destiney Johnson (6 points), Genesis Riveria (9 points, 9 rebounds), Charlynn Perry (5 points), Amanda Cruz (5 points), Teanna Frances-Henderson (7 points), and Raemeisha Claxton (2 points).
The Fillies will take action again next Friday, November 13th at 3:00pm against Collin County College in the TJC Classic.
Certified Nurse Aide
November 6, 2015 - The Panola College Workforce and Continuing Education division is offering a CNA – Certified Nurse Aide program, on the Carthage campus, beginning Wednesday, January 20, 2016. The class will meet Monday and Wednesday until May 4, 2016 from 5:15 p.m. until 9:15 p.m. The cost of the program is $580.00 and preregistration is required. For more information, contact the Continuing Education office at 903-693-2067 or email ce@panola.edu.
Massage Therapy Program
The Panola College Workforce and Continuing Education office is now offering a Massage Therapy program. The program is scheduled to begin Tuesday, January 19, 2016. Classes will meet from 5:30pm - 9:30 pm on Tuesday and Thursday and from 9:00 am - 6:00 pm on Saturday. The cost of the program is $4,199, and registration is required. For more information, contact the Continuing Education office at 903-693-2067 or email ce@panola.edu.
November 5, 2015 - Registration opened November 4 for the winter and spring 2016 terms at Panola College. Winter term runs from December 10 through January 4. Spring 2016 classes will begin January 19 and end May 12.
Winter term offers students a compressed time frame to complete academic course work, and most will be offered online. A limited slate of classes are offered in academic and technical areas including art appreciation, nutrition and diet, blueprint reading and sketching, principles of macroeconomics, programmable logic, technical and business writing, British literature, federal government, Texas government, U.S. history, medical terminology, first aid, sports officiating, college algebra, math for elementary teachers, music appreciation, general psychology, sociology, public speaking, and dosage calculations.
Class sizes are limited, and students will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. Winter term classes are popular with university students who are home for the holidays and want to complete required courses that will transfer to their universities.
“People who may want to brush up on their professional skills or explore a new career can benefit from Panola College classes,” said Jeremy Dorman, Registrar. “Winter term classes are fast-paced and require self-discipline, but students who are willing to make the commitment of time and effort, are able to enhance their transcripts and resumes in a short time.”
Students who are interested in the winter term can complete the Apply Texas application, available on the Panola College website, or stop by and talk to an academic advisor in the Charles C. Matthews Foundation Student Center. Financial aid is available to qualified applicants.
The spring 2016 semester will offer academic and technical courses toward degrees and certificates in a wide range of areas.
“It now takes 42 semester hours to complete the core curriculum,” Dorman said. “Students who complete the core course work at Panola may transfer those hours to any public institution in Texas.”
“Community college provides an affordable higher education opportunity to students,” said Dr. Gregory Powell, Panola College President. “In economic times like these, people are looking for ways to stretch their dollars. Earning associate degrees or certificates at Panola College can save students thousands of dollars compared to the cost of taking the same courses at a four-year university.”
Online registration is available for current students. New students should contact the Student Success Department for more information, or go to the Panola College website for details: www.panola.edu.
November 5, 2015 - The Panola College Fillies are 27-7 and ranked 14th in the nation heading into this weekend’s Region XIV Volleyball Tournament hosted by Tyler Junior College. Panola enters the tournament as the second place seed from the North, setting them up for a rematch at 9 a.m. in Wagstaff Gymnasium with Wharton County Junior College, a team currently ranked 16th nationally. The two teams split a pair of five-set thrillers earlier this season with the most recent victory going to Wharton on their home floor 20-18 in the fifth.
Shutdown blocking and defense has been the difference for Panola this year with Brittany Lampkin and Leiyona Young leading the conference in blocks per set with 1.10, and Rachel Henderson coming in third with 1.09 per set. Morgan Currie is third in digs per set (4.42) and overall digs (477), but she is not alone with five other Fillies registering in the top 20 dig leaders for our conference. Sharon Tukuaoga is second in conference with 317 kills this season, and Ana Oliveira is second in aces with 40 total.
With two National Tournament bids at stake, Panola is eyeing a chance to make its first appearance since 2009. This young team is battle-tested, playing 14 games against ranked opponents and only dropping 5 of those matches.
More tournament information and a complete bracket can be found here: http://www.apacheathletics.com/f.php?file=NJCAA_D1_Volleyball_Region_XIV...
The tournament is double-elimination format, and will last through Sunday afternoon.
November 5, 2015 Weatherford, TX - The Panola College men's basketball team defeated Weatherford College here Wednesday night by a score of 81-78. With the win, the Ponies improve their record to 3-1 on the year. "We played in an extremely hostile environment." explained Head Coach Grant McMillan. "Going on the road in Region V is never easy. Our guys competed at a high level and executed the game plan." He added.
After a seesaw first half, Panola took a 4 point lead into the locker rooms, 46-42. A flurry of buckets to start the second half gave Panola their biggest lead, 53-44 with 17:55 remaining in the game. Weatherford crawled their way back to tie the game at 68-68 with 8:32 left. A Terry Holt (Nashville, Tennessee) layup sparked a quick 8-2 run where the Ponies never surrendered the lead. Weatherford did close the gap within 2 points, 77-75 with 38 seconds remaining but Charles Tucker (Lansing, Michigan) sank two free throws to ice the game.
Leading Panola in scoring for the second straight game was Jonathan Wiley (Houston, Texas) with 19 points. Also scoring in double figures was Holt with 17, Tucker with 15, and Chan Williams-Bey (Hartford, Connecticut) with 12. Tope Arikawe (Nigeria) led the Ponies in rebounds chasing down eight, while Tucker also led the team in assists with seven. As a team, Panola knocked down 27 of 35 free throws and shot 46 percent from the field.
Panola will be back in action this upcoming Friday as they head to Athens, Texas to play in the Trinity Valley Community College Classic. The Ponies take on Southwest Christian Community College at 5:30 PM on the campus of Trinity valley.
November 3, 2015 - Panola College rodeo team traveled to Lake Charles, on the 30-31 for the fourth Southern Region rodeo. The rodeo was held indoors, and the weather was not a factor at all. Panola had some individuals that where very strong in their events.
Bailey Plaisier, a freshman, made a great ride on his third horse with a 74 to win fourth in the Bareback riding. The first two horses that Bailey got on did not buck well enough in the judges eyes, and he received multiple re-rides. Bareback riding is very physically demanding, and Bailey showed how strong he is both mentally and physically by competing on three horses back to back. He is in his first year of college and is proving to be a great team leader, and a huge contender for the title in the Southern Region
Cody Wright had an outstanding rodeo placing in two events. Cody, a four event cowboy, showed how valuable it can be to enter more than one event. Wright was the fast time in the calf roping for the first two performances with a 9.1 second run. His time held until the second run on the cattle where he was pushed back to fourth place. Cody also entered in the Saddle Bronc riding, for his first time and placed sixth in that event. Cody has only been on three other practice horses here at Panola before he entered the event. Wright’s efforts in both events earned him a second place finish in men’s all around.
Cody is a very talented cowboy and is expected to be among the leaders when the CNFR rolls around in July.
The rodeo team will travel to Conroe for the fifth and final rodeo of the fall season November 13-14. Both the men and women’s team are strong and have a great chance at a CNFR qualification.
October 30, 2015 - Panola Jazz Band and Pipers will present Music Through the Decades on Saturday, November 7 at 7:00 p.m. in the new Panola College Frances B. Ross Ballroom.
Selections will include, Chattanooga ChooChoo, Johnny Angel, Sweet Talking Guy, Save the Last Dance for Me, Fever, Sway, Saving All My Love for You, and many more fun favorites.
Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for children 10 and under. A delicious dessert and beverage is included.
Doors open at 6:30 p.m. No reservations are needed.
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