CLEVELAND, Miss. - It's that time of year again for Valdosta State women's basketball, as the Lady Blazers prepare for a return trip to the Gulf South Conference Tournament.
This year, the opening quarterfinal round takes the Lady Blazers (14-14, 10-12 GSC) on a strenuous journey to Cleveland, Miss. where the Delta State Lady Statesmen (17-9, 15-7) host as the No. 3 seed in the postseason tournament on Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m. EST.
Valdosta State, who secured the No. 6 seed over one week ago in Valdosta, Ga. after their win over the West Georgia Wolves, enters the Tuesday evening matchup with the aim of pulling off the challenge of defeating the Lady Statesmen on their home floor. The task will be a tall one, as Delta State holds an 11-2 record at home.
The only two teams to defeat DSU at Walter Sillers Coliseum in 2014-15, were the West Georgia Wolves, who pulled off a 60-49 upset way back in early December, and West Florida, who picked up a 73-69 overtime win over the Lady Statesmen on December 20, 2014.
Delta State has reeled off seven consecutive home wins since that loss to the Argonauts before the holiday break, and have gone undefeated thus far on their turf during the 2015 calendar year.
The Lady Blazers have plenty to be optimistic about, however. Head Coach
Kiley Hill's squad is playing some of their best basketball of the season right now, a statement proven by the fact that the team has won three of their last four contests.
VSU has seen a surge in offensive production in recent weeks, and the team has posted a 42.9 percent or better shooting percentage in each of their last five outings. In their most recent contest, a narrow 75-71 loss to the No. 2 seeded West Florida Argonauts, the Lady Blazers connected on 26 shots in 52 attempts for a sizzling 50.0 percent shooting effort.
In addition, Valdosta State buried four out of nine three point attempts for an average of 44.4 percent, and the team has shot 70 percent or better from the free throw line in each of their last three games.
Players to watch for Delta State in Tuesday night's playoff matchup include Chelsey Rhodes and Rhandi Ball, who currently rank among the league's top 15 scorers with an average of 15.5 and 11.2 points per game, respectively.
For the Lady Blazers,
Jordan Waugh and
Maggie Davis are among some of the league's best rebounders with averages of 5.4 and 5.9 rebounds per game, respectively, while
Maylisa Johnson ranks as the league's second best passer with an average of 3.8 assists per game.
