March 21, 2007

The Northeastern Junior College women's basketball program took a huge step toward national prominence during the 2006-2007 season.

In his first season at the helm, Coach Darrel Parker directed the Plainswomen to a 25-win season and a South Sub Region, regular-season title. It marked the first sub-region title since 2001 for the NJC women.

"It was a fun season," Parker said of his first go-around at the junior college level. "Our overall record wasn't a goal we set at the beginning, but 25 wins is something this team should be proud of. Every player on this team improved from the beginning to the end. All the sophomores have offers to go play somewhere, and it's going to be neat to follow how they do wherever they go."

Parker said the players returning to the team have big shoes to fill.

"Next year I think reaching the National Tournament will be a goal of ours," he said. "The returning players know they have to work extra hard and bring some of the traits that this year's sophomore's brought to the team."

NJC leading scorer Daria Basova was named the Region IX Player of the Year. The sophomore from Moscow, Russia, averaged a double-double for the season with 17.5 points and 10.5 rebounds per game.

Basova shot 77.8 percent from the free-throw line while recording a team-high 29 blocked shots. She led the Plainswomen in scoring in 19 games while leading the group in rebounding 22 times.

"Daria was a big part of our team's success," Parker said. "She really improved her inside game. She sacrificed a lot of individual success for the team which is a compliment to her. She was a player other teams had to prepare for, and she'd going to get a chance to play at a big-time school if she chooses."

The Plainswomen also showed well in the Region IX Tournament. NJC crushed Dawson Community College in the opening round, 77-38. Parker's team had four players in double figures with Guernsey, Wyo., guard Jennifer Garner leading the way with 14 points.

Sophomores Jackie Davis and Roni Whitman each scored 11 while freshman Sarah Conner matched their output with 11 points. Sophomore Sara Parker pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds.

Davis finished her sophomore season averaging seven points and six rebounds a game. Whitman, the Whitlock Heart Award winner, started all 31 games for NJC and averaged nine points and three assists. She also recorded 47 steals.

Parker, playing her sophomore season under her father, finished the season averaging five points and five rebounds as a part-time starter.

Conner and Garner showed signs of what is to come for NJC next season. Conner averaged 10.6 points and 6.6 rebounds per game in her rookie season. The 5-9 guard recorded a team-high 71 steals, 13 blocked shots and 112 assists.

Garner came on late in the season and finished with 5.5 points and three rebounds per contests. She started played a key role in 30 games for the Plainswomen, starting in four.

NJC was eliminated by top-seeded Casper College in the second round, 61-56. Northeastern led the contest, 27-25, at halftime and had a chance to tie the game with a three-pointer with 10 seconds to play. Casper escaped the upset and went on to win the Region IX Tournament with a big win over Western Nebraska.

"My voice is gone," Casper coach Angelo Hill told Casper Star-Tribune writer Eric Schmoldt after surviving the scare against Northeastern. "I expected this game to be really tough, so I wasn't surprised."

Australian freshman Kristen Forbes led the Plainswomen against host Casper with 15 points. Basova scored seven and pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds. Conner scored nine and pulled down eight boards while recording five steals and five assists.

"That Casper game was the best overall game we played all year," Parker said. "Everybody on our team believed we could win the Region IX Tournament, and with the way we played we did give ourselves a chance. We were on their home court in front of a hostile crowd with a lot on the line. It came down to a few crucial plays at the end of the game. They made them and we didn't, but it was good to see everybody step their game up to the next level."