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Photo by Cheryl Fliege / The Skipjacks were all smiles Sunday after arriving at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport, waiting for the van ride to East Peoria to participate in this week’s NJCAA Division II women’s basketball championship tournament at Illinois Central College. Chesapeake College, seeded 11th, opens play Tuesday night against sixth-seeded Highland Community College.
Photo by Cheryl Fliege / The Skipjacks were all smiles Sunday after arriving at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport, waiting for the van ride to East Peoria to participate in this week’s NJCAA Division II women’s basketball championship tournament at Illinois Central College. Chesapeake College, seeded 11th, opens play Tuesday night against sixth-seeded Highland Community College.
Posted: Mar 18, 2013

Skipjacks aim for faster start at nationals

EAST PEORIA, Ill. – Last year, Louisburg College’s national tournament experience seemed to be the difference as the Hurricanes stormed out to an 18-3 lead against a Chesapeake College team playing in its first women’s basketball national tournament.  The Skipjacks never recovered from that huge hole, but did then win three straight in the consolation bracket.

Chesapeake head coach Damon Nichols is hoping last year’s experience will prevent a similar case of first-game butterflies when the 11th-seeded Skipjacks take on sixth-seeded Highland (Kan.) Community College in Tuesday's 8 p.m. (9 p.m. Eastern Time) NJCAA Division II tournament first-round contest.

“We’ve got three who’ve been here before,” said Nichols, referring to All-American Denver Clyde, Rose Smith, and Katara Pressley.  “We just have to play our game and stick to our system.”

The Skipjacks (22-1) can’t afford any nervousness against 27-5 Highland, which was ranked No. 1 in the country earlier this season and knocked off then-No. 1 Johnson County Community College, 76-75, in the Region VI title game.

“Highland is a talented team,” said Nichols, whose Skipjacks finished seventh in last year’s national tournament.  “They play hard and shoot the ball really well.  They can shoot the three and they get up and down the floor.  It’s going to be a very competitive game.”

The Skipjacks will practice at 10 a.m. Central Time Tuesday and then wait to play in the opening day’s final game at Illinois Central College.  The game will be streamed live on the web by iHigh.  Web watchers can go to www.icc.edu/njcaa2013 to watch the Skipjacks.