It'll seem a little like déjà vu Friday afternoon when the Lady Hawks take the floor at Samford University for the semifinals of the Gulf South Conference tournament as, just like last season, Shorter takes on Delta State for a place in Saturday's tournament championship game.
This time around, however, head coach
Vic Mitchell feels like his team is in a much better place than they were a year ago. Having turned in their first 20-win season since the 2011-12 year - the last in the NAIA - the Lady Hawks are poised to keep their season alive as they know just what needs to be done.
In total, Shorter entered the postseason as the GSC's third seed, after posting win over longtime rival Lee University on the season's final day, and bring with them a 20-7 overall record and a 16-6 conference mark. While, Delta State brings a 20-6 overall record and a 16-6 record in conference play into Friday.
The teams split the two games during the regular season, with Shorter winning the first meeting 63-60 at the Winthrop-King Centre. At the time the Lady Statesmen were ranked in the top 25, and not only did the win mark the first for Shorter over a ranked opponent, but also the Lady Hawks' first win over Delta State.
To win, Shorter will need to rely on the intensity they've played with all year and know that in order to be successful they'll need to maintain that intensity on both sides of the court. Spearheading the effort will be 1st Team All-GSC selection,
Taylor Adams. Adams, the only GSC player to average a double-double on the season, leads Shorter in both points (15.9) and rebounds (10.6). Starting all 27 games for the Lady Hawks, Adams turned in a GSC-leading 14 double-doubles performances on the year; while also leading the conference in steals (72, 2.7 per game).
Joining Adams in double figures for the year is senior transfer,
Shakierya McClendon, who enters Friday's game averaging 11.1 points per game. Her season high in points came at Valdosta State when she tallied 26 for the game, but she's also added 20 or more two other times this year. She enters the postseason as the Shorter leader in assists with 57 total helpers and 2.2 per game.
Shorter has used a varied lineup throughout the season, but
Shaundricka Mann and
Madison Rice - along with Adams - have been the constants for the Lady Hawks as each have made all 27 starts. Mann and Rice, both enter Friday's game averaging at least 5 points. Mann is second on the team in rebounds with 4.7 per game, while Rice is Shorter's leader in 3-pointers made with 31 on the year.
Tamarr Williams has earned a spot in the starting five in the last six games, and will likely get the nod Friday as well. She'll enter the contest tied for second in steals (39) on the team and adds just under seven points per game. While,
Kayla Tillie has appeared in all 27 games for Shorter, making 13 starts and turning in 7.9 points and 2.0 assists per game.
Delta State brings the GSC and NCAA DII leading defense to the matchup; keeping opponents to 49.1 points per game while averaging 59.9 of their own. Senior, Chelsey Rhodes, the GSC Player of the Year, will be the main offensive threat for Shorter as she tallied a career high 34 points against the Lady Hawks in Cleveland a few weeks ago. She enters as the GSC's scoring leader with 20.2 points per game.
Tip off is set for 3:30 PM EST (2:30 PM CT) from the Pete Hanna Center on the campus of Samford University in Birmingham, Ala. Should the Lady Hawks win, they will take on the winner of No. 1 Union vs. No. 5 Lee in the championship game on Saturday beginning at 2:00 PM EST (1:00 PM CT). Fans unable to attend can follow all the action, live at
www.goshorterhawks.com.
