Shootout leaves two injured

Screams echoed off the walls of the gymnasium, followed by shouts of excitement as a medic rushed to the scene.

 A shootout occurred at the CFCC gymnasium over the weekend that left two women injured and in need of medical attention.

 The Junior College Women's Basketball Shootout was hosted at CFCC on Friday, Dec. 4 and Saturday, Dec. 5. The tournament is held by the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA). The NJCAA first holds regional competitions and then the winners attend a national shootout.

 NJCAA is involved with several sports for both male and female teams. CFCC has only won three titles in previous NJCAA national championships, and neither were for basketball.

 Seven college's women's basketball teams traveled to Ocala to compete in the shootout. The tournament consisted of eight games played over two days.

 The Lady Patriots beat Broward College 80 to 37 on Friday night, but after a tight game with Brevard College on Saturday night, they were defeated 71 to 69.

 Early on into the game, two players were injured after they collided with one another. Lady Patriot Shaunte Forward was one of the players involved. They both managed to get up and shake off their injuries after several minutes on the floor. The game continued without them.

 Things were tense in the gymnasium, but not only because of the basketball game. Another sports game seemed to be affecting the crowd as well.

 "I'm too stressed out about the Gator game to care about this one," said John Collins,20, a criminal justice major.

 In a completely unrelated turn of events, the Florida Gators lost their final game of the season to Alabama 32 to 13, and lost their chance at the SEC title.

 Many fans came out to support the Lady Patriots, as well as the other teams who played.

 One such fan was Rob Strong, 25, a CFCC alumnus. He explained that this was the first Patriot game he has been to in over five years.

 "I can only make Saturdays and this is the only one I could make or didn't forget about," Strong said.

 Although the Women's Shootout has ended, you can still catch some of the action at the Men's Shootout on Dec.12-13 at Central Florida and Sante Fe Colleges.