LORMAN &045; The greeting card reads, &uot;You did it,&uot; with a distance runner crossing the finish line.

There were no better words on a card Alcorn head women’s coach Shirley Walker could find for standout senior guard LaToya Johnson at this point in the season. As the Lady Braves battle through the home stretch sitting in first place in the Southwestern Athletic Conference, she had to give thanks to Johnson after the team pulled two big road wins last weekend.

Now it’s on to the homestand today and Monday in two more crucial games. The Lady Braves host Alabama A&M at 5:30 p.m. today and Alabama State Monday.

&uot;I’m very proud of LaToya,&uot; Walker said. &uot;She has come of age. I congratulated her and told her a job well done. The only words I could come up with are on the back of the card &045; In Rhythm. I have something I want to add to it, too &045; ‘You arrived four years ago, and I want you to leave as a champion.’&uot;

Johnson came through for her club in wins last week at Mississippi Valley and Arkansas-Pine Bluff as the Lady Braves held on to their spot in first. Not only did they avenge that loss at home to Valley in the first round of conference, but they set up for a key showdown Monday against Alabama State in a game that could a long way in determining who gets the No. 1 seed in the tournament.

But that’s still a ways off, and Johnson and the Lady Braves know that for sure. Johnson’s 24 points against UAPB was her season-high in conference. She leads the team in scoring at 12.6 points a game just ahead of point guard Shikhia Sims’ 11.3.

&uot;She played well in both games,&uot; Walker said. &uot;I can see her coming back into her game. Shikhia Sims depends on LaToya a lot. One thing I did notice about her this (past) weekend was her turnovers were way down. I don’t think she had one, and that was a big, big plus.&uot;

Another key has been the play of Rasaan Powell in the middle coming off the bench. The Lady Braves welcomed back the services of senior forward Tnonealyer Powers following a knee injury, and sophomore Powell has come off the bench in recent games to play center.

Powell had nine points in 27 minutes against Valley but lit it up more against UAPB by hitting all eight shots from the field to finish with 18 points and nine rebounds in 27 minutes.

&uot;She did a good job this past weekend, and she’s also coming of age,&uot; Walker said. &uot;She knows we do need her, and she had two good games. It didn’t matter (coming off the bench). She came to play. She’s tough on and off the court. She’s very mature for her age.&uot;

&uot;I’m trying to put that into the kids’ minds &045; you can be All-American coming off the bench. I don’t even like to use the word ‘start.’ You get in, do what you have to do and leave that alone.&uot;

Powell and the inside game may have to come up big for a team that’s set to face to two teams on the homestand that like to go inside. In the first meeting against A&M, forward LaShowann Smith finished with 18 points and seven rebounds with center Kaysha Williamson grabbing 11 boards.

Alcorn dominated in the paint the last two games, holding a 46-24 edge over UAPB and 26-16 over Valley. Then Monday it’s Crystal Kitt and the Lady Hornets.

&uot;It’s going to be a different ball game,&uot; Walker said. &uot;They’re going to play tough. We’ll look for a very tough game on Saturday. We’ve got to be focused and mentally prepared to play every day. We’ve got to take care of business again.&uot;