By Jim O'Hara
 
Cleveland, Tenn. – They knew they would have to up their game from the beginning. That, after all, is a must if you play in the Gulf South Conference.

And that is what the Shorter Lady Hawks continues to focus on – getting better every day.

Fresh off a rare week off from action, the Lady Hawks jump back in the GSC wars on Saturday, determined to start turning what has been season of more downs than ups when they head to Cleveland, Tenn., to square off against former NAIA rival Lee in a showdown that is the first conference clash between the two programs.

"We haven't been in this situation in a long time," Shorter coach Vic Mitchell said as the Lady Hawks take a 5-10 overall record and a 3-6 conference mark into the game that signals the halfway point of the team's GSC schedule. "Everybody – the players and the coaches – want to figure out how we can get better. We all have to do more to be better.

"I hope the break that we've had will help," the coach said as Shorter returns to the court for the first time since last Saturday when the Lady Hawks fell to Valdosta State, "because we have players who have played a lot of minutes. And it gives us a chance to work on things as a team, focusing in on what we do.

"Once you get going, you don't have a lot of time for yourself. You've got to use the time wisely."

In a pair of home GSC games last week, the Lady Hawks experienced mixed results.

In a 66-56 win over West Florida, one that snapped a four-game losing skid, the Lady Hawks took control from the start, hitting 42 percent of their shots from the floor and placing three players in double figures – Kristin Nash led the team with 14 points and Ieshia Alexander and Lynette Harris had 13 each – while Karisma Boykin stood strong inside pulling down 10 rebounds.

But last Saturday in the Winthrop-King Centre, the Lady Hawks ran into a hot-shooting Valdosta team.

While Shorter once again got strong double-double outing from Harris (16 points, 10 rebounds) and Maggie Peeples and Alexander added 14 and 12 points respectively, the Lady Blazers controlled the game sinking a sizzling 54 percent of their shots.

"I didn't think we played that poorly," Mitchell said. "But when you run into a team that is shooting so well, you have to do things even better."

The coach is well aware his team must be better in every way against Lee, playing their first season as a member of the Gulf South as they transition into NCAA Division II ranks after becoming one of the top NAIA teams – they played in last year's national championship game – in the nation.

The Lady Flames (10-4, 6-2) hold down the No. 2 spot in the conference standings and are riding a three-game win streak, the latest victory coming last Saturday when they knocked off Alabama-Huntsville on the road, 91-80. Senior standout Hollie German leads the team that averages 72 points providing 25.9 points a game.

Shorter's trip to Lee is the first of three consecutive GSC road trips as the Lady Hawks head to Jackson, Tenn., next Thursday to take on Union and makes the stop in Florence, Ala., on Saturday, Feb. 1 to go up against North Alabama.

"It's been a process," Mitchell said about learning what it takes to contend in the conference. "But they continue to work hard. They know we're close to turning it around."