NW Florida State, Trinity Valley advance to NJCAA title game
The Northwest Florida State women's basketball team will play for a national championship for the second time in three years.
Sakima Walker, a 6-foot-5 center, scored 19 points and the No. 8 seed Lady Raiders beat No. 4 seed College of Southern Idaho 69-56 in Sunday's first semifinal of the NJCAA Tournament at the Rip Griffin Center.
Destiney McPhaul added 14 points for Northwest Florida State (28-4), which will play in the title game at 8 p.m. Monday against No. 3 seed Trinity Valley Community College (34-2), an East Texas school seeking its ninth NJCAA title.
Since the NJCAA Tournament moved to Lubbock in 2016, Northwest Florida reached the round of 16 in 2016 and 2022, the round of eight in 2018 and 2019 and won the championship in 2021. Fortifying the Lady Raiders' roster are three major-college transfers: Walker from Rutgers, McPhaul from Temple and Amarillo High graduate Zayla Tinner from Southern California.
The title game will be televised live on ESPNU. Admission at the Rip Griffin Center is free.
The Lady Raiders got 10 points from Mya Pierfax and nine points and 10 rebounds from Celia Riviere.
Kaylee Headrick racked up 18 points and 14 rebounds for Southern Idaho, which finished 31-3. The Golden Eagles had won 19 in a row since their last previous loss on Dec. 17.
Kali Haizlip scored 11 points for the Golden Eagles and Livia Knappa and Alyssa Christensen nine apiece.
Trinity Valley 71
Eastern Florida State 70
Makiyah McCollister made a layup with 0.2 seconds left as Trinity Valley Community College rallied from a 12-point second-half deficit to edge Eastern Florida State.
Briana Peguero had a team-high 18 points, and Lafaedria Green chipped in 13 key points, including five in the final 30 seconds of the third quarter that put the Lady Cardinals (34-2) in position to make the rally in the fourth quarter. Trinity Valley head coach Precious Ivy credited Green with calling the final play in the timeout that sprang McCollister for the game-winner.
"Lafaedria Green, right here, you heard it from me,” said Ivy, who earned career victory No. 100. “She called that. Again, it’s the chemistry we have. I said I wanted a ball screen, but wasn’t sure how I wanted it. We run it all day. It was her call. That’s how good these kids are."
Abby Cater added 11 points and Kaila Kelley 10 for No. 3 seed Trinity Valley, which will face No. 8 seed Northwest Florida State in the title game at 8 p.m. Monday. The teams met on Thanksgiving weekend at Trinity Valley's tournament in Athens with the Lady Cardinals winning 76-65.
It will be the ninth appearance in the title game in the past 12 years for the Lady Cardinals, who last won the championship in 2014. It’s also a rematch of the 2021 title game in which Northwest Florida won, 67-60.
"You have two really good teams playing three games in a row going to play their fourth game, and I think everybody’s aches and pains are the same," Ivy said. "It’s who’s going to be tougher, who’s going to have the mindset to come out here and push through for 40 more minutes."
Elli Garnett poured in 28 points for Eastern Florida (33-2) before fouling out. The Titans, in their second national tournament appearance and first in the semifinals, outrebounded Trinity Valley 38-29 while hitting 7 of 13 from the 3-point line. That helped Eastern Florida take a 52-40 lead late in the third quarter thanks to a 16-1 run. The Titans still were up 64-53 midway through the fourth quarter.
Amelia Hassett added 15 points for Eastern Florida and Leilani Guion chipped in 13.
Eastern Florida had won 17 games in a row since its only other loss this season, to Shelton State on New Year's Day.
NJCAA TOURNAMENT
at Rip Griffin Center
(Seedings, records in parentheses)
Saturday's Results
Quarterfinals
Northwest Florida State 72, South Georgia Tech 61
Eastern Florida State 82, Wabash Valley 77
Southern Idaho 79, Blinn 64
Trinity Valley 84, Jones 61
Sunday's Games
Semifinals
Northwest Florida State 69, Southern Idaho 56
Trinity Valley 71, Eastern Florida State 70
Monday's Game
Championship
Trinity Valley (34-2) vs. Northwest Florida State (8) (28-4), 8 p.m.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: NW Florida State, Trinity Valley advance to NJCAA title game
