CLINTON – ICC’s Lady Indians needed a 3-pointer Wednesday to have a shot at keeping their season alive.

They had a designed play where two shooters – Anna Dill and Jameika Hoskins – were supposed to be free on the perimeter for a kickback pass from a penetrating guard.

They had 11 seconds to make it happen.

Sadly, they never had the opportunity to run the play called “Tomahawk.”

Instead, the excited shooters went the wrong way and the guard, LaPrecious Naylon, lost the ball on a steal.

Co-Lin, the community college state champion, exited Mississippi College’s A.E. Wood Coliseum with an eventual 70-65 victory in the NJCAA Region 23 Tournament’s semifinals.

“We got messed up and went to the wrong side,” said a visibly-shaken Dill, a sophomore guard. “(Naylon) tried to throw it back out.

“We were excited, that’s what caused it. Everybody played their tails off.”

Give heaping amounts of credit to Dill and the Indians for even being in the game after going in at halftime down 16 points, 37-21. ICC shot 21 percent from the field, hitting just 7 of 33 attempts.

“We just didn’t make things happen in the first half,” ICC coach Nanci Gray said. “At halftime, we challenged them to make a game of it.

“Let’s just not roll over and play dead.”

ICC (18-8) did just the opposite, opening the second half with a 15-0 run to cut the Lady Wolves’ lead to 37-36.

Ebony Williams, who finished with a team-high 15 points, scored nine in the surge, including one 3-pointer.

“We came out on fire; we knew we had to score points and stop them,” Dill said, then smiled.

The Indians’ strong comeback had Gray smiling, too.

“We came back and did an incredible job,” she said. “They battled their hearts out.”

Co-Lin (24-2) survived ICC’s jab and pushed its lead back to 51-42 with 9:56 remaining.

The Lady Indians came back to tie the score at 53-53 on a layup by Hoskins. A steal and layup by Vetorra Cole gave ICC a 55-53 lead with 6:42 left.

Co-Lin quickly answered, but ICC remained in striking distance the rest of the way. Two free throws by Naylon cut the Wolves’ lead to 68-65 at the 1:05 mark.

The teams then exchanged turnovers, setting up ICC’s unsuccessful final play.

Co-Lin, which was led by Kiara Etienne with 19 points, will play Meridian or East Mississippi at 6 p.m. today in the title game. The winner advances to the NJCAA nationals in Salina, Kan.