CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – There was plenty of jubilation on the Northwest bench Tuesday after the Lady Vikings knocked off Rossview 44-33 to all but wrap up the regular season District 10-AAA title.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve been in this situation,” said Northwest girls basketball coach Ben Wallace. “I’ve been at the top where we we’ve won the league and had great success and I’ve also been at the very bottom. You should know how it feels to be in the other guy’s shoes and it feels a whole lot better to be in these shoes believe me.
“As far as what it means for the program, this is justification for their hard work. This has been a three-year process where we’ve been getting better every year and I hope we’re not done getting better. We’ve got a lot of the team coming back next year, so this is building confidence for us. I don’t know how far we can go, but the sky is the limit for us in a way.”
Rossview girls basketball coach Justin Woods discussed how Northwest was able to limit his team’s offensive output throughout.
“They really get up and pressure you,” Woods said. “They make things tough. They made it hard to get into our offense and we struggled to do that all night.”
The Lady Vikings have found a way to come away with wins in close contests for the majority of the season. Wallace believes the narrow victories have allowed his group to build character in a few areas.
“Winning close games is usually about experience,” Wallace said. “You have to have good ball handlers, but it’s about experience and confidence. When you go into that late-game situation you have to believe you’re going to win it and we are developing that feeling. When you get into the playoffs and now its really crunch time, the team that executes the best wins.”
The Lady Hawks trailed 16-13 with five minutes remaining in the second quarter before rattling off a 9-2 run to close out the first half and retake the lead.
HALFTIME
@RossviewHoops 21@NWLadyVikings 18Emani Collier records the final score of the first half. pic.twitter.com/k7pW6XTs5n
— Neil Rye (@NryeTBB) February 3, 2021
Rossview was able to take advantage of the Lady Vikings leading-scorer TaMia Scott’s absence on the floor due to foul trouble, but were unable to carry over the momentum into the third quarter.
“We turned the pressure up a little bit,” Woods said of the spark. “We were able to get some transition buckets and some easy stuff. In the second half, we wanted to try and get the ball inside, but we struggled to get the ball across half-court so it made it tough.”
The Northwest backcourt of Kayla Howell and Emiyah Cobb was superb in the third quarter, helping the Lady Vikings seize control of the game.
Kayla Howell gets in the passing lane here and Emiyah Cobb finishes for @NWLadyVikings. pic.twitter.com/g7zJW74fpu
— Neil Rye (@NryeTBB) February 3, 2021
“Emiyah is an outstanding player,” Wallace said. “She’s a great athlete for one thing. Because of TaMia, Kayla and Emiyah kind of get overlooked frequently, but they’re really good players in their own right. Both of them lately have been doing a fantastic job defensively. We wouldn’t be where we are without what Emiyah and Kayla bring to the table.”
Scott recorded a game-high 16 points followed by Cobb with nine points.
Emani Collier finished with nine points while Sydney-James Desroches, Laci Edwards and Aubrey Padgett chipped in six points each for the Lady Hawks.
What’s next
Rossview will look to regain some momentum before the postseason, beginning Friday, Feb. 5 at 6:00 p.m. on the road against Montgomery Central.
“After getting your butt kicked at home, you should be pretty motivated to get better and get back to work,” Woods said of his team’s current mindset. “At least I hope that would be the case.”
Northwest will host Springfield Friday, Feb. 5 at 6:00 p.m. before traveling to take on Henry County Tuesday.
“First off, we’re preparing to beat Springfield on Friday,” Wallace said. “It’s still one game at a time, but mentally for me as a coach, we’re beginning to prepare ourselves for things we’re going to need in the tournament. I want us to play hard, play great defense and execute. That’s what we’re trying to do.”