If you are a coach, player or fan involved in the current Gulf South Conference basketball season, you have more than likely divided league play into three parts, first half, second half and finally tournament time. The surging Lee women's basketball team completed the first half of GSC action with a 12-0 record (14-2 overall) and have posted 11 straight victories.
The Lady Flames defeated rival Union University 72-68 (OT) in Jackson on Saturday and will open the second half against two more rivals, West Florida, on Thursday (6 p.m.) and Valdosta State on Saturday (2 p.m.) to begin the second half. Lee defeated West Florida in Pensacola (69-65, OT) back on Nov. 19 and stopped Valdosta on Nov. 17 (56-55).
West Florida and Valdosta will both bring impressive winning streaks into this week's contests. The Argonauts have won four straight and seven of their last eight games. The impressive Blazers have rung up 11 consecutive wins since the one-point defeat to the Lady Flames in their conference opener. West Florida is 9-3 in GSC play and 9-5 overall. Valdosta is 11-1, 12-2. The Blazers have not lost since their first two games to open the season. Their other defeat came at the hands of Sunshine State Conference powerhouse, Eckerd College (Nov. 11).
Coach Rowe "League is extremely deep"
"I think the league is extremely deep as always, and we are off to a great start, but our eyes will remain looking forward, only concentrating on the games in the second half of the season. It is the first time we have played a 24-game-league schedule so there is still so much of the season left. We will take a game at a time and work on getting better every day."
Playing Argos, Blazers challenging
"Playing West Florida and Valdosta after being on the road at Union is certainly a challenge, but I cannot think of a better scenario to prepare for post-season play than this this seven-day day stretch. Both teams are tough and extremely well coached, and these are games that can well come down to the smallest of margins. I think everyone knows the gravity of these games, so we will get ready to compete at our highest level," pointed out Coach Rowe.
Plenty of talent on display
Lee All-American guard Haley Schubert reached a career milestone when she scored her 2000th point in the win at Union University on Saturday. She is one of five Lady Flames to reach the 2000-point plateau. Hollie German remains the leader at 2300. Schubert is also No.3 on the career assist ladder (471). Bridgette Parks holds a mark that may never be broken with 1012 dish offs to teammates. Philip Tang compiled these records from the GSC books on Schubert. Her 2000 points ranks 8th in GSC records. The leader has 2636. She has 725 field goals made, which is 12th, the record holder has 747. She has 471 assists, 10th in the standings, leader has 504. She has 286 steals which is 5th in the records. The leader has 667.
The Lady Flames will face a pair of talented inside players in Thursday's battle with West Florida. Graduate student Jadyn Jarnot stands at 6-foot-1 and averages a double-double, which spells double trouble at 16.5 points per game and 13.1 rebounds. In the first meeting with the Lady Flames, she had 11 points and nine rebounds. Sophomore Zoe Piller stands at 6-foot-2 and was named the GSC Player of the Week after averaging 19 points and 12.5 rebounds in wins over West Alabama and Alabama Huntsville. Piller tallied 19 points and grabbed seven boards in the earlier loss to the Lady Flames.
Valdosta will bring a balanced scoring attack to town. Sophomore guard Taylor Searcey is currently leading the Blazers in points (12.4 ppg), rebounds (6.6 rpg) and has dished off 41 assists. She is also a deadly free-throw shooter, making 55-of-63 attempts. Junior (5-foot-3) guard Tamiya Francis is the motor of her team and averages 10.5 ppg with 40 assists. The defensive minded Blazers allow only 56 points per game and score 66. Junior Emma Martin is one of the top 3-point scorers in the GSC, making 50% of her attempts (28-of-56).
