Rome, GA – Win and you’re in.
It’s a big step that the Georgia Northwestern Athletics Program has been waiting to happen for five years. If the Lady Cats make magic happen on the hardwood Saturday, the college will earn its first trip to a national post-season tournament in school history.
At 2 p.m. Saturday, Georgia Northwestern will face Middle Georgia Tech for the NJCAA Region XVII title. The game will be played at Emory-Oxford College in Oxford, Georgia. The winner moves on to the NJCAA District Round.
The Lady Cats won their conference championship in a title game last year in dramatic fashion. After trailing by as many as 17 points in the second half, the Lady Cats would claw their way back and take home the championship, 72-65.
Although it was a conference win in 2011, it was the final game of the campaign for Williams’ squad that season. “We played in the TCSGAA before this year’s schedule,” said Williams referring to the Technical College System of Georgia Athletic Association. “There was no next round last year. This 2011-2012 campaign is the first full season we’ve been with the NJCAA. We’re excited”
The Lady Titans from Warner Robins, Georgia fell to the Cats on December 10 at The R.A.C. (Rossville Athletic Complex), 59-46. Middle Georgia would return the favor January 14 with a 22-point victory over Georgia Northwestern, 62-40.
“It’ll take leadership from our sophomores to have a chance at this thing,” said Williams. “Kayci (McGee), Kelsie (Philpot), Mia (Morrow), and Jessica (Williams) bring a ton of experience into this game Saturday. We’ll be utilizing those strengths.”
The Lady Cats face a tougher task than they did in their regular season match-ups with Middle Georgia. Depending on the health of freshman forward Brittney Daughtry, this roster could field as few as six players. “We’ve done it before and won with that number, too,” said Williams. “Saturday should be a lot of fun.”
Daughtry, a Georgia School for the Deaf alum, hit the reserved list in January with an injured right knee. “Getting her back on the court is a process we are taking slowly and carefully,” said Williams. Freshman guards Emily Cole (Adairsville) and Kenisha Watkins (Berkmar) will help anchor the back court for the Lady Cats going into Saturday.
A win by Georgia Northwestern would send the Lady Cats to a northeastern site for a chance to move on. “The site for the next round is still to be determined by play across the country,” said Williams. “We are worried about one site right now. That’s Williams Gymnasium at Emory-Oxford this Saturday.”