By Adam MacDonald
VALDOSTA — It comes as no surprise that the Valdosta State Lady Blazers and the Delta State Lady Statesmen are once again meeting in the postseason.
The two basketball squads will meet tonight for the fourth time in the past two seasons, with all matchups coming in the postseason.
The teams tip off at 7 p.m. in Cleveland, Miss., in the first round of the NCAA Division II women’s basketball tournament. Delta State is the No. 1 seed and the host of the South Regional portion of the tournament. VSU is the No. 8 seed and last team to make the South Regional. The game can be heard on 92.1 FM in Valdosta.
The most recent game between Delta State and Valdosta State came last Saturday in the Gulf South Conference tournament semifinals. Delta State won 55-52 in an overtime thriller.
“It’s a great opportunity for us,” Lady Blazers head coach Kiley Hill said. “Everything prep-wise is fresh on our minds. We actually made copies of all of the game tape and gave it to each of our kids. That game was such a big boost for us in terms of mentality of what we need to do and correct some things. It’s an exciting chance for us to go back.”
The Lady Blazers led most of last Saturday’s game and halfway through the second half they led by 10 points. However, Delta State came back and tied the game to send it to overtime. In overtime VSU only managed one basket and Delta State hit five free throws. Michelle Thompson missed a 3-pointer to tie the game as time expired.
Hill said after the game that VSU had a great game plan and executed that plan for 32 minutes.
One thing the Lady Blazers failed to do last Saturday but will need to do tonight is rebound. Delta State outrebounded VSU 47-24 last Saturday and scored 19 second chance points. Although there is nothing VSU can do about the Lady Statesmen height advantage, Hill said rebounding is like pool: you have to be able to work the angles and VSU did a poor job of that last Saturday.
Another thing the Lady Blazers are looking for is a better shooting performance from freshman Sczeny Hartry. Hartry was 3-20 from the field against Delta State last Saturday and missed the potential game-winning shot with seconds left in regulation.
“She was frustrated about her shooting performance,” Hill said. “I think she has a new train of thought.”
Two things the Lady Blazers did right against Delta State last Saturday was they got off to a good start, and they shut down 3-point shooting specialist Moe Bell.
Prior to last Saturday, the two previous games the Lady Blazers played against Delta State they trailed big early. In last year’s Sweet 16 game, the Lady Statesmen jumped out to a 16-2 lead in the first 9:30 and went on to win by 18 points. In last year’s GSC semifinals the Lady Statesmen went on a 15-1 run 10 minutes into the game to take control.
Last Saturday the Lady Blazers built a 13-3 lead in the opening minutes, and that appeared to take the pressure off.
Also, Michelle Thompson’s tight defense on Moe Bell last Saturday kept Delta State from swinging momentum its way. Bell is the nation’s leading 3-point field goal percentage at 50 percent. However, Thompson and the Lady Blazers held Bell no 3-pointers on just one 3-point attempt.
It’s been a whirlwind week for the Lady Blazers. After losing to Delta State in the Gulf South Conference semifinals last Saturday, they found out they qualified for South Regional tournament and would play Delta State again on the bus ride back to Valdosta on Sunday. The team practiced on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday morning, then flew from Valdosta to Atlanta to Memphis on Wednesday night. The Lady Blazers stayed at the same hotel in Memphis on Wednesday that they stayed in for the GSC tournament, then bused down to Cleveland, Miss. on Thursday morning to start practicing for tonight’s game against the Lady Statesmen.
With all the recent travel, the Lady Blazers have missed quite a bit of time in the classroom. Hill said he is proud how his team is handling it.
“Our kids right now are so focused on academics that they are locked in two worlds,” Hill said. “That’s where our focus is, on the academic side, not so much towards the focus of basketball. I think it’s great. That’s the reason they’re here in the first place. They’re here to get a degree. Basketball is just a tool to get that degree. Fortunately they’re maximizing that tool to the best of their abilities and performing well.”
