CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – Oftentimes, pressure bursts pipes for most teams in the postseason, but not for Northwest girls basketball on Monday. The Lady Vikings relied on clutch free-throw shooting late to pull out a 38-35 victory at home over Beech.
With the win, Northwest punches their ticket to the Region 5-AAA finals and sub-state.
“It feels great,” said Northwest girls basketball coach Ben Wallace. “The school has only been to the sub-state twice and region finals twice, so this is a big deal for us. I’m super proud. This is an amazing run for us and still I feel like we’re a year away. It’s especially fun thinking about the great success we’ve had this year and what maybe the future holds for us.”
The officials allowed both teams to play throughout, swallowing their whistles despite apparent contact on numerous drives to the basket.
“The physicality probably played to Beech’s benefit,” Wallace said. “Certainly, we would’ve like to have gotten to the foul line more. We were not allowed to get their often. I think that played into it a little bit, but I’m more concerned with officials that it be consistent and I’d say they were consistent. They let us play probably more than I would’ve preferred, but as long as it’s consistent, I’ll live with it.”
Beech’s size caused Northwest to have issues offensively early on, as the Lady Buccaneers recorded seven blocked shots in the first half.
1st QTR- 1:55
Laci Walmer with the denial for the @BeechLadyBucs. pic.twitter.com/ZS4S9lJuAN— Neil Rye (@NryeTBB) March 2, 2021
“I think they definitely intimidated us particularly in the first half,” Wallace said. “That’s part of the reason we had such a bad shooting night. We just could not get shots to go in. We missed layups and it was their length that did that. We’re not going to grow between now and the next game, so we just have to manage to play against that.”
On the final possession of the second quarter, sophomore Emiyah Cobb connected on a deep three-pointer to give the Lady Vikings a four-point advantage at the break.
HALFTIME@NWLadyVikings 16@BeechLadyBucs 12
After both teams struggled to buy a basket for the entirety of the second quarter, Emiyah Cobb drains it from another area code to give the @NWLadyVikings a four-point advantage at the break. pic.twitter.com/bsl0uTe6BI
— Neil Rye (@NryeTBB) March 2, 2021
According to her Cobb’s teammate Kayla Howell, the made shot was critical in building some much-needed momentum at the time.
“The second half is usually our half,” Howell said. “In the first half, we get a feel for the game and her big shot to end it gave us the confidence we needed to know we were in the game.”
Howell was a major contributor for her team down the stretch, drawing a charge before knocking down two free throws in the final minute of play.
“I like taking control,” Howell said. “Being the point guard of this team is definitely a big role…There’s just a different feel from last year to this year. Turnovers are huge especially now because we’re not going to play any bad teams. We just have to bring our A-game every night.”
With under 20 seconds remaining in the contest, junior Ta’Mia Scott put the game out of reach from the foul line after two clutch makes.
FINAL@NWLadyVikings 38@BeechLadyBucs 35
Kayla Howell drew a charge and knocked down two free throws before @TamiaScott2022 put the game on ice from the foul line. Northwest is headed to the Region 5-AAA finals on Wednesday. pic.twitter.com/VTtQnZzQ7o
— Neil Rye (@NryeTBB) March 2, 2021
Cobb led all scorers with 12 points while Scott finished with 11 points and Howell added five points for the Lady Vikings.
Laci Walmer had a team-high 11 points followed by Jada Jones with eight points for the Lady Bucs.
What’s next
Northwest travels to take on Lebanon Wednesday, March 3 at 7 p.m. in the Region 5-AAA finals. The Lady Vikings fell to the Devilettes earlier in the season by a final score of 50-39.
Wallace shared his thoughts on the upcoming rematch.
“I think that we can play with them,” Wallace said. “I think that we can beat them, but at the same time, Lebanon is really good. They execute really well. They play good fundamental defense. I mean they’re just a well-coached team.
“It’s going to be a matter of adjusting to the fact that they’re going to set real screens. A lot of times in high school, teams set screens and they’re sort of pretend screens where you’re screening a spot. They screen people. We have to learn to get around those and play with that. It’s going to be a huge challenge for us, but it’s one we honestly have been planning on for awhile. We’re excited to get an opportunity to take it on.”