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Northwest Florida State College (30-3) will return, once again, to the NJCAA National Championship game after a 70-60 win over Eastern Arizona College Monday night.
The Raiders will play the season’s final game, The NJCAA Championship, on April 1, at 5:00 PM against Shelton State on ESPN U.
The Raiders with dominance and skill in a primarily empty gymnasium in Casper, Wyoming, to seal the deal. The quiet, almost practice-like atmosphere contrasted starkly with their final game in Raider Arena last month.
Northwest Florida State College lost in that game in front of a raucous crowd filled with Chipola and Raiders fans by almost 20 points. But the Raiders won’t have to worry about their in-conference rivals. Instead, they’ll face off against Tuscaloosa’s own Shelton State College.
Shelton State beat Chipola 61-60 when they averted disaster after the Indians failed to make a last-second go-ahead layup against poor defense.
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Despite Eastern Arizona’s best efforts from Phalan Sigers, Lucia Auza, and Eenae Dagons, who combined for 43 points, the Raiders kept a double-digit lead for most of the evening.
Eastern Arizona played with just eight team members after a series of difficult circumstances befell the Monsters before tip-off in the final four games.
Sophomore Nevaeh Scott took the Eastern Arizona Guards to task throughout the game to deliver the win to the Raiders. Scott earned 24 points on a perfect 6-6 shooting night. She completed the game with six rebounds, three assists, and a steal. A testament to her ability to run the game non-stop, Scott played 38 of the games 40 minutes.
Scott’s wingwoman, Mekhia Chase, contributed significantly to the stat lines as well. Chase would add another seven points on the board and contribute four dimes and four boards to the Raiders’ victory.
Deborah Davenport would pull down 16 rebounds in the frontcourt to keep the Monsters off their game.
Shelton State ended the year, placing #6 in the final NJCAA team rankings. The Bucs lost to Wallace State, a team NWFSC beat in the second round of the NJCAA playoffs, at their regional title game.
Since their district loss – the gritty bucs won several close games. They opened up their tournament appearance in Casper with a ten-point win over South Plains College before taking wins in two single-point games against Chipola and Dodge City to make it to the final.
Essential to the Bucs’ success against Dodge City: Hybrid Guard Makala Hobdy. She averaged 11.5 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 6.9 assists per game before showing up in a big way for the postseason.
The Bucs will also look to Lameria Thomas and Alana Obianozie to supply both points and interior defense in the national finale.
Like Eastern Arizona, Shelton State will play with a severely limited bench. The Bucs played a single substitute in their last contest against Dodge City, Arissa Jenkins.
