Late free throws end NWF State women's season

Jaime Patrick was in the right place at the right time.

Patrick, a 5-foot-11 shooting guard for Hutchinson (Kansas) Community College, rebounded a wild shot from teammate Christasia Walter with two seconds remaining a drew and drew a foul. She then connected on a pair of game-winning free throws to give Hutchinson a 73-71 win over NWF State in the NJCAA National Tournament quarterfinals.

Patrick's game-winning foul shots came 11 seconds after Northwest Florida State freshman forward Carla Batchelor missed a pair of free throws that would have given her team the lead. Instead, Hutchinson rebounded Batchelor's second miss and frantically entered the frontcourt, where Walter launched an off-balance 16-foot jump shot right into the arms of Patrick, who led Hutchinson with 26 points.

"It was a great game, a great environment to play in," said NWF State head coach Patrick Harrington. "I couldn't be more proud than I am of this team. It was an exciting game to play in, an exciting game to coach.

"It's unfortunate for us that it ended the way it did, but that's basketball. The important thing is to take this lesson, learn from it and continue getting better."

The loss ends a solid run at the NJCAA Tournament by the Lady Raiders, who entered the Salina, Kansas event as the No. 11 seed. With Hutchinson, seeded No. 3, winning, the NJCAA Women's Final Four will now consist of the tournament's top four seeds. Hutchinson (35-1) will face Central Arizona (33-1) in one semifinal, while No. 4 seed Gulf Coast (29-4) will take on top-seeded Trinity Valley of Texas in the other.

While Patrick's free throws ultimately provided the difference, NWF State came within 13 seconds of crashing the Final Four party. Down 43-36 at the half, the Lady Raiders ripped off an early 7-0 run in the second half to draw even at 47-47 with 14 minutes remaining.

From there, the two teams took turns with the lead, with Northwest Florida State's biggest advantage in the second half being a three-point cushion with nine minutes to go.

Tavarsha Scott, a sophomore from Ringold, Louisiana, led the charge offensively in the second half for the Lady Raiders. Scott scored 17 of her team-high 22 points in the second half.

"She just has a will to win," said Harrington of Scott. "She pursues the ball so well and tonight, she kept fighting and fighting through adversity. She made some big-time plays."

With the Lady Raiders trailing 71-67 with two minutes to go, Scott scored back-to-back baskets to tie the score with one minute remaining. In the final minute, the two teams swapped empty possessions to lead up to the finish at the free throw line.

In addition to Scott's 22 points, Luiana Livulo scored 19 for NWF State and Fort Walton Beach grad Kiani Parker added 11. Batchelor and Rudianne Eduardo each scored eight.

The loss ends a terrific season for the Lady Raiders, who reached the NJCAA Tournament for the first time since the 1994-95 season.

"We didn't want it to end the way it did, but I don't feel like a loser tonight," said Harrington. "Give credit to Hutchinson, they're a good basketball team that made the plays to win. We came up short, but I'm pleased with the effort."