The North Central Missouri College women’s basketball team returns to the Region 16 Tournament tonight, hoping to eliminate the disappointment of a season ago when the Lady Pirates, as the number one seed, bowed out of the tournament in their first contest.
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The Lady Pirates cruised through regional play during the regular season, going 10-0 and earning the tournament’s top seed again this year.
“Hands down I think we are, athletically, the best team in our region,” Head Coach James Arnold said. “I do not think that is any secret, but our players have to understand that no one cares. No one cares how many games we won. No one cares who is supposed to win, No cares about our rankings. And no cares that we are 19-1 in region play over the past two seasons. The only thing that matters is what we do on the court this weekend.”
Penn Valley and Cottey College won their first-round games last weekend and the Lady Pirates will play Penn Valley tonight in at Florissant Valley in the semifinals. Cottey College will play Meramec in the other semifinal contest.
The Lady Pirates will rely heavily on the play of their two outstanding sophomore guards, Tiara Johnson and Amber Vandevender. The two have combined to average 23 points a game and anchor a deep North Central squad.
“Our depth should be a big plus for us. We are going to try and run our opponents into the ground,” Arnold said. “We have been a lot more fortunate than some of the other teams in the region. We are pretty healthy and have not lost anyone this season. Some of the other teams in our region have not been so lucky.”
Sophomore Amber Jordan and freshman Jillian Palan will also play a huge role this weekend. Each is scoring just over 12 points a game.
“Jillian is the piece we were missing last year. While we did shoot well last year, we lost, it was that simple,” Arnold said. “Jillian gives us a presence under the basket who can score and keep us in ugly games. Last season we lacked that physical presence under the basket.”
Palan and Johnson each pulled down over seven rebounds a game this season and Johnson also leads the team in assists, 5.9, and steals, 3.5. However, the biggest thing the 26-4 Lady Pirates have going for them is experience.
“We are stronger both mentally and physically,” Arnold said. “We were young last year. This year we are older and I would say we are more hungry. This team has made it the goal to get back (to the region tournament) and win it.”
While Vandevender, Johnson, Jordan and Palan are the statistical leaders, the Lady Pirates will also need solid play from sophomores Kristen Buhrmeister, Brittany Parker and Megan Doty.
Defensively, NCMC will have to stop the Lady Scouts’ leading scorers, Hilary Walker and Natasha Turner.
The Lady Pirates also are coming off a 13-day break that has given North Central a chance to heal, rest and fix some mistakes that were being made. But the long break could also mean the North Central could be rusty.
Overall, Arnold said the rest has been good and added the time off also served to fuel the hunger. The Lady Pirates are aware of last season’s shortcomings and are excited to return to the tournament and prove they should be the Region 16 representative in the District F championship game. The District 16 champion will play the District 13 champion for a bid to the national tournament in Arizona in March.
“I have said from the start, if last year’s disappointment fuels us and leads to more success this season, then it was worth it,” Arnold said. “Physically, we are up to the challenge. Now we have to go on the court and prove that we are the best team in our region.”