Warriors Fall in Final, but Season Marches On
Moral victories are for the birds. No one wants to talk about how great the season was immediately after it comes to a screeching halt. But some seasons are that good, and luckily for the Westcliff women's basketball team, after falling in the California Pacific Conference championship game in their first year of Cal Pac competition, 64-46, to UC Merced, the season is not over.
by BRANDON PETERSEN
Moral victories are for the birds.
No one wants to talk about how great the season was immediately after it comes to a screeching halt.
But some seasons are that good, and luckily for the Westcliff women's basketball team, after falling in the California Pacific Conference championship game in their first year of Cal Pac competition, 64-46, to UC Merced, the season is not over.
On Thursday at 4 p.m., the NAIA will announce the participants and seeding for its national championship tournament and the Warriors will hear their name called.
"I've played five years now, and I've never gotten to the national tournament," Bailey Hawkins said. "I've always been just one step behind. We lost tonight, but I'm just excited to go to the (NAIA) Tournament. That's what my goal has been since my freshman year.
"Everyone emphasizes the national tournament, so I'm just excited to be a part of it."
Hawkins churned out yet another double-double in the championship game, scoring 12 and collecting 10 rebounds to complement four blocks.
Laura Tapia, meanwhile, scored 11 and had six rebounds, five assists and five steals.
Westcliff played the Bobcats to a first-half tie, thanks in large part to its defense, but the offense never seemed to find its rhythm.
"Our defense was really good the first half," Hawkins said. "The energy was good. We weren't performing like we normally do offensively, but the defense kept us in it in the first half."
Added Tapia: "This has been a good experience; we just have to learn from it. Just fix the little details before we go to nationals."
Sara Weber scored five and five rebounds, and Trinity Vasquez scored five on an uncharacteristic off shooting night.
"Preseason, ranked 6th -- nobody thought we would come in first year and do much," Westcliff head coach Kyle Rouse said. "I'm proud of what we were able to accomplish in Year 1, No. 1. No. 2, tournament time is different. We haven't really experienced that, and I think it showed a little, but the fact that we were able to battle, do what we were able to do, make the national tournament in our first year -- you can't really complain about that."
Asia Anderson continued her strong late-season push with seven points, and Remy Hare added four.
Understandably, the Warriors were in no mood for moral victories Tuesday night. But when asked by Cal Pac media what it has meant to her to build the foundation of Westcliff women's basketball, Tapia sat up in her chair and chose her words thoughtfully.
"It's an honor," she said.
The NAIA National Championship will begin March 11 and 12 on campus sites around the country.
You can find more information on the tournament here.
To contact Brandon Petersen, e-mail brandonpetersen@westcliff.edu.