CASPER, Wyo. — Northwest Florida State has become quite the thorn in the side of the Three Rivers College women's basketball team over the last five seasons.
The Florida Panhandle school ended the Lady Raiders' season in the NJCAA Tournament semifinals in 2021, then ended TRC's campaign last spring in the national quarterfinals.
Saturday night, it was déjà vu all over again as NWF defeated the Lady Raiders 83-78 in the NJCAA Tournament quarterfinals at the Ford Wyoming Center, exactly one year to the day after doing so in the 2024 quarterfinals.
Three Rivers ends its season with a record of 29-4.
Unlike last season, when NWF was in control much of the contest on the way to a 15-point victory, the Floridians had to rally past the Lady Raiders on Saturday.
Three Rivers took a 56-43 lead on a Jasmine Davis layup with 4:04 left in the third quarter, but NWF responded with an 8-0 run to cut the lead to 56-51 on Kyla McBride's 3-pointer.
Bramyia Johnson answered with a triple of her own to push the lead back up to 59-51, but the Floridians answered with another 8-0 run to tie the score at 59 Jade Ondineme's free throw with 65 seconds left in the third period.
Yannie Flemings answered with a layup with 39 seconds left in the third quarter to briefly put Three Rivers back in front at 61-59, but NWF scored 11 of the first 13 points of the fourth quarter and took a 70-63 lead on Mekhia Chase's layup with 5:24 left in the contest.
Two free throws by Kaleigh Thompson and a Lexi Weaver jumper got the Lady Raiders back within three points (70-67) with 3:45 remaining, but could get no closer as NWF went 9-for-12 at the free-throw line to end the game.
Three Rivers came out of the gates hot on Saturday, draining six 3-pointers in the opening period and taking a 22-21 lead after the opening period.
NWF took a 23-22 lead just 28 seconds into the second quarter on Chase's jumper, but the Lady Raiders scored the next seven points to take a 29-23 lead on Weaver's layup with 5:43 remaining in the first half.
Laylah Reese led Three Rivers with 15 points, while Brittani Wells added 14, the trio of Weaver, Thompson and Davis each had 11 and Samari Taylor finished with six. Reese also had seven rebounds, while Flemings added six. Kamille Brown had three steals, while Davis added a pair.
Nevaeh Scott paced the Floridians with a game-high 29 points, while Chase added 22, Ondineme had 12 and the duo of McBride and Deborah Davenport each finished with eight. Ondineme also had 13 rebounds for the double-double.
With Saturday's loss, the Lady Raiders say goodbye to a huge sophomore class — Wells, Thompson, Weaver, Davis, Taylor, Brown, Reese, Johnson, Sydnei Marshall, Emma Toombs and Brook Klepzig — which led TRC to back-to-back national quarterfinal runs and a combined record of 58-9.
The cupboard isn't bare for Three Rivers, as four players — Flemings, Courtney Bluitt, Caitlin Lord and Kiera Neal — can return next season to give the Lady Raiders a core to build around as they seek a sixth consecutive trip to the NJCAA Tournament.
Mike Buhler - Daily American Republic