RiverHawks Go for South Central Regional Crown in Sweet 16
CANYON, Texas – “BELIEVE”
That’s what the Northeastern State University women’s basketball squad has been saying all season. That belief in hard work and their teammates has paid huge dividends for the RiverHawks this season.
Northeastern State (28-6) will take their season moniker “Believe” into the NCAA Division II Sweet 16 and South Central Regional championship Monday evening against 15th –ranked Emporia State University (26-5). The RiverHawks and Lady Hornets will tip-off at 7 p.m. at the First United Bank Center on the campus of West Texas A&M.
The RiverHawks will be making their second appearance in the Sweet 16, the last in 2004. Emporia is making its 8th trip to the Sweet 16.
Freshman Taylor Lewis of Broken Arrow who has played outstanding the last half of the season said “That’s what we have to keep us going …just believe… believe in each other and believe in the coaches.
“Just follow through with the game plan and get the job done.”
Taylor did just that in the semifinal game against 7th-ranked and No. 2 seed Washburn University in Saturday’s semifinal game. She led the RiverHawks into the championship game with her 13-point performance against the Lady Blues as the RiverHawks posted a stunning 56-51victory.
It was Lewis, along with fellow freshman Tosha Tyler, who brought the RiverHawks back to within striking distance of Washburn late in the first half, cutting a 9-point deficit to just three at the intermission.
Looking ahead to Emporia State, a club which defeated the Lone Star Conference Tournament champions and No. 1 seed West Texas A&M 76-69 on Saturday, Lewis and Northeastern State head coach Randy Gipson expects a “tough battle.”
“From watching them on Saturday I expect them to play hard,” said Lewis. “It’s going to be physical and they can shoot. We just have to play defense as a team, keep pushing and stay together.”
Lewis, who has played in all 34 RiverHawk games, comes into the game averaging 4.9 points a game, while shooting .383 from the field, including .385 from behind the arc and .742 at the free throw line.
The Broken Arrow freshman who is mild-mannered off the floor takes on a different personality when she crosses the black stripe onto the hardwood.
“There is a level of intensity you have to step up, said Lewis. “You have to have confidence in yourself and the team. You just have to have that fighters’ mentality.”
Concerning the championship game Lewis said “This is great for me. I never thought going into my freshman year we would have gone this far. To experience this is just great. I wouldn’t want to experience this with any other team,” said Lewis.
When asked if this was the highlight of her basketball career thus far Lewis said, “Oh yes. This is it. I want to make it all the way. That’s our plan and that’s what we are going to fight to do.”
Gipson also acknowledge that it will be a fight on Monday night when the No. 3 seed RiverHawks and No. 4 seed Lady Hornets tangle.
“They (Emporia) have played very well in the regional tournament with two impressive wins (Tarleton State 90-71 and West Texas A&M 76-69),” said Gipson. “They are a team that has two of the best point guards in the country, a senior (Cassondra Boston) that not only sets up their offense, but shoots the three very well. So things revolve around her.
“They also have a good inside attack with a 6-2 post player (Alli Volkens). They have a good inside-outside game. Emporia plays very hard on defense and is pressure oriented with their man defense. The challenge for us is run our offense against their pressure defense and try to keep Boston under some control,” said Gipson.
Boston, who was named the South Central Regional Player of the Year, is averaging 19.7 points a contest. Against West Texas in the semifinals Boston scored 21 points, pulled down 7 rebounds and had six assists.
Volkens, an honorable mention All-MIAAA selection, scored 19 points and 10 rebounds against WT, is ranked fourth in the MIAA in rebounding, second in the league in offensive rebounds and is fifth in blocked shots.
The Lady Hornets are averaging 78.9 points on offense and allowing opponents only 56.5 points an outing. The RiverHawks, led by Jasmine Webb (11.6 points a game), who was a second team All-South Central Regional selection and the LSC North Division Player of the Year, is scoring 68 points a game and giving up just 56 an outing.
This will be the fourth meeting between the Northeastern State and Emporia State with the Lady Hornets leading the series 2-1. The last meeting was in November, 1992, with Emporia winning 80-76 at White Auditorium in Emporia, Kan.
The winner of the South Central Region will advance to the Elite Eight which begins on March 23rd at St. Joseph, Mo.
To view the South Central Regional media notebook, please click here.
