VALDOSTA, Ga. - The Lady Blazer basketball team is all set for the season finale on the hardwood of The Complex in Titletown, USA against West Florida on Saturday night.
Prior to Saturday night's contest, Head Coach
Kiley Hill and Blazer Athletics will recognize a group of young ladies who helped lead the squad back to the Gulf South Conference Tournament this season, and have served as the cornerstone of the 2014-15 Lady Blazer basketball program. The five seniors to be honored on Saturday night are
Amy Duke,
April Thomas,
Maylisa Johnson,
Jordan Waugh, and
Katie Repko.
For the Lady Blazers, the night will cap off a regular season in which the Valdosta State women's basketball program has celebrated 40 years of Lady Blazer basketball, and the they will do it against a tough West Florida team. The Argonauts come to Valdosta as the GSC's No. 2 seed in the upcoming GSC Tournament after posting a stout 18-7 record overall and a 14-6 GSC record under the leadership of Stephanie Lawrence Yelton.
The Argonauts enter Saturday night's contest on the heels of a convincing 86-56 victory over West Alabama last Saturday, despite having lost two straight heading into that contest. Saturday night's win marked the 100th of Yelton's coaching career at West Florida.
Meanwhile, the Lady Blazers are playing some of their best basketball of the season. The Lady Blazers have won three straight, and blew by West Georgia last Saturday night in one of their most impressive wins of the season. In the 70-54 win, four different Lady Blazers reached double-digit figures in the scoring column, and junior
Imari Simpson finished with a double-double after scoring a team high 20 points and snatching 10 rebounds.
In the last matchup between the Lady Blazers and the Argonauts, VSU fell 66-55 in Pensacola, Fla. UWF freshman Toni Brewer proved to be a difference maker in the contest, as she secured 16 rebounds and scored 24 points in a double-double performance.
In addition, UWF took full advantage of 38 free throw attempts, connecting on 26 of those tries. The Argonauts made more free throws than the Lady Blazers even attempted, as Valdosta State earned just 20 shots from the stripe.
In each of the Lady Blazers' last four games, Head Coach
Kiley Hill's squad has shot 40 percent or better from the field. Their recent improvements on offense have led to four straight games in which the Lady Blazers have outshot their opponents from the field.
