Chesapeake College women look for regional repeat
WYE MILLS – There are only four women's basketball teams in the NJCAA Division II Region XX tournament field, but don't let that fool you. What the field lacks in numbers it more than makes up for with talent.
The four teams – top-seeded defending champion Chesapeake College, second-seeded CCBC-Dundalk, No. 3 host Frederick Community College, and fourth-seeded Hagerstown Community College – have a combined Division II record of 41-10. They have a combined 68 total wins this season and feature both the current state champion in Chesapeake and a state semifinalist in CCBC-Dundalk.
"I think it's a competitive field," said Chesapeake head coach Damon Nichols, who guided the Skipjacks to their first-ever regional title last year, "but if we come to play our style of play we should be fine. Rebounding, boxing out, and finding shooters (on defense) will be the keys."
Chesapeake – 20-1 overall, 11-0 versus Division II opponents, and riding an 11-game winning streak – is the clear favorite heading into this weekend's tournament. The Skipjacks, however, looked to be tested in their bid to repeat as tournament champions and earn the accompanying national tournament berth.
Chesapeake plays in Saturday's 7 p.m. semifinal against Hagerstown (14-13), which suffered a pair of double-digit losses to Chesapeake this season.
"We've played Hagerstown twice now. We pretty much know what they have and what we have to do," said Nichols, whose team held Hagerstown to a combined 31 percent field-goal shooting in the two games. "It's just going to take a team effort to do it. Our defense is going to have to step up like they have."
The Skipjacks are allowing just 46 points per game over the last six games, showing the same type of defensive mettle they exhibited while going 8-1 in the postseason last year on the way to finishing seventh at the NJCAA Division II national tournament.
Guards Sydney Small and Brittany Taylor combined for 35 points in Chesapeake's first win over Hagerstown, while guard/forward Denver Clyde had a game-high 23 points in the rematch. Katie Sprecher, who scored 10 points in each game, was the only Hawk in double figures in both contests.
Chesapeake will have had 13 days off between the state and regional tournaments, a situation Nichols said he would like to avoid in the future.
"That's probably going to show in the first couple of minutes," said Nichols of the layoff. "I'll remember this for next year. We need to try to get in a game or two between the state and regional tournaments."
If the Skipjacks get past Hagerstown, they will match up in Sunday's 1 p.m. final against either a CCBC-Dundalk team that took them to overtime or a Frederick squad that played Chesapeake even until the final minute of a 71-67 Skipjack win. CCBC-Dundalk (18-8) and Frederick (16-11) play in Saturday's 5 p.m. semifinal.
Nichols' main worry heading into the tournament is the health of Taylor and forward Najah Chambers, both of whom suffered ankle sprains in the Skipjacks' 59-53 win over Harford Community College in the state title game.
"They're still a little gimpy, but they're in there playing," said Nichols.
Notes: Chesapeake slipped from 17th to 18th in this week's NJCAA Division II national poll despite not having played in the week between the two polls.