Championship level performance leads to Region VIII Title for Northwest Florida

NICEVILLE, FL - The Raiders entered the FCSAA/NJCAA Region VIII championship game feeling very confident about their national tournament prospects regardless how Saturday evening went.  Judging by the way they performed in said championship game, you would have thought they were in desperate need of a win in order to book a return trip to Lubbock, TX to continue their quest for a second national title.  Northwest Florida was hungry for state championship.  Their sense of urgency was on full display and consequently the Raiders overwhelmed the upset-minded Pioneers from Indian River for the entire forty minutes in route to a convincing and dominant 81-40 victory, leading to another banner raised for the Northwest Florida State College women's basketball program.

Defense is the Raiders' hallmark for the 2021-22 season and it had never been more apparent than on Saturday against Indian River.  NWF gave up only 12 points in the first half, including a suffocating second quarter that held the Pioneers to just 3 points for the entire period.  Couple that with a balanced, free flowing offense on the other end that shared the ball to the tune of an incredible 22 assists for the game, it's no wonder why the Raiders were so successful in the ballgame.

Northwest Florida's box score on the evening was well distributed in the "points scored" category.  An amazing 12 Raiders scored in the game, led by tournament MVP Last-Tear Poa with 19 points, Ines Piper with 15, and Shelbee Brown added 10 points and 9 rebounds.

The convincing win now secures an automatic bid to the NJCAA national tournament in Lubbock, TX on March 16-21.  The Raiders will learn their seeding in the tournament on Sunday when the NJCAA Selection Show is aired via the NJCAA Network on Sunday, March 6 at 6:30 PM.