Listen To the Game Live On 95.7 The Ridge

By Jim O'Hara
 
ROME, Ga. – The Shorter Hawks and Lady Hawks would love nothing better to get back on the basketball court to get back into the win column.

That is if Mother Nature allowed them. She did.

Thanks to the re-appearance of the sun, warmer temperatures and the melting snow, Shorter has made the decision to head to Huntsville, Ala., on Thursday afternoon for its Gulf South Conference showdown with Alabama-Huntsville after taking a wait-and-see attitude Wednesday when the South was hit with a major winter storm. The Lady Hawks tip-off at 6:30 p.m. (ET) with the Hawks taking the court at 8:30.

Lady Hawks head coach Vic Mitchell's team and head coach Chad Warner's Hawks will be focused on reversing what has been a frustrating fortnight as the Lady Hawks (5-15 overall, 3-11 GSC) will be out to end a six-game losing trend while the Hawks (8-12, 5-9) are determined to snap a four-game skid when they face Alabama-Huntsville at Spragins Hall.

The Lady Hawks are coming off a pair of narrow setbacks last week that were decided by three points; an overtime loss decided at the buzzer a week ago to Christian Brothers and a 59-56 defeat to No. 15 Delta State last Saturday.

"We just haven't made the plays when we needed to," Mitchell said about the team that has lost eight games by three points or less, "and that's something we have problems with all season. But the team is still working hard every game. They're not about to quit."

When they do square off against the Lady Chargers (12-8, 7-7), the Lady Hawks will once again look to a quartet of players that the team has counted on all season and have averaged a workmanlike 30 or more minutes a game.

Ieshia Alexander leads Shorter averaging 13.8 points a game; Karisma Boykin is averaging 11.7 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.8 assists; Lynette Harris has 10.5 ppg and 4.8 rebounding averages; and Kristin Nash is providing 9.9 points and 4.2 caroms each outing.

They will lead the Lady Hawks against a UAH team that handed Shorter an 80-72 defeat last month in Rome in the first meeting between the two programs and one that features two of the top scorers in the GSC.

Jordan Smith leads the Lady Chargers averaging 23.1 points and 3.5 assists, while Jasmine Hammon is scoring at a 20 ppg clip.

Like the Lady Hawk, the Hawks have come up with a balanced offense but have been unable put it all together down the stretch in their last four games, something they were able to do in their first clash with UAH back in January when Shorter emerged with a 67-65 win.

Despite undergoing some changes in the lineup, four Hawks are currently averaging in double figures with Dedric Ware at 18.8 points and 4.3 assists), Jordan Jacks chipping in 15.3 points and 7.9 rebounds, Brandon Pullman adding 13.4 points a game, and Travis Jones providing 10.8 points and 4.3 assists.

Alabama-Huntsville (12-9, 8-6) is coming off two wins over West Florida and Valdosta State and is paced by three players who provide the drive – Wayne Dedrick (17.9 ppg), Ronnie Mack (14.2 ppg) and Conner Blasi (10.7 ppg.)

After Shorter does make the trip to Huntsville, the teams will be back home at the Winthrop-King Centre on Sunday afternoon to face West Alabama in a game that was originally scheduled to take place on Saturday after UWA shifted its conference game against West Georgia in Livingston, Ala., from Thursday to Friday.