Both Raider Basketball teams look to keep rolling
2/6/2010 – Raiders look to keep rolling
By ADAM ROSENBERG Northwest Florida Daily News 315-4484 | arosenberg@nwfdailynews.com
NICEVILLE The last time the No. 7 Northwest Florida State College men's basketball team took the court against Gulf Coast Community College, the Raiders were somewhat surprised by what they saw.
Instead of a lineup featuring the towering Eric Buckner in the post, the Commodores trotted out a four-guard attack due to Buckner's injury.
Admittedly, NWF State coach Bruce Stewart wasn't ready for the lineup change and had to make some onthe-fly adjustments. The Raiders had their hands full early, but got a strong bench effort to take care of the Commodores 76-69.
Tonight, the Raiders travel to Panama City to take on Gulf Coast at 7:30 p.m. while looking to further solidify their hold on a Panhandle Conference playoff spot. The Lady Raiders will tip off at 5:30 against the Lady Commodores.
Buckner is still out for Gulf Coast (15-9, 2-5 Panhandle Conference), so the Raiders (21-2, 6-1) will likely have a guard-heavy lineup to contend with once again. However, Stewart hopes this week's preparation will have his team more prepared than the last time.
"We needed to a do a better job of focusing on what Gulf Coast does," Stewart said. "Last time they caught us off guard and that was my fault. We were preparing for Buckner and he didn't play. We had to make some in-game adjustments."
A key for the Raiders will be to win the rebounding battle with the Commodores. The Raiders have the smallest team in the league, but have fared well in pulling down rebounds against taller teams. Still, when the Raiders have struggled for periods within games, it has often been due to rebounding troubles.
"After health, I would say defensive rebounding is our biggest concern," Stewart said. "We have won a lot of rebounding battles in conference games. But you try to be a perfectionist and not give up any second chances to the other team."
The Lady Raiders (15-5, 2-5) are looking for a second chance of their own as they take on the No. 1 Lady Commodores. NWF State beat Chipola 65-60 in come-from-behind fashion on Wednesday, ending a three-game losing streak. Gulf Coast (20-1, 6-1) is coming off its first defeat of the season, a 69-64 loss to Pensacola.
With Pensacola looming next Wednesday, the Lady Raiders are looking for an upset win or two to keep them in the playoff race. They're hoping the confidence of Wednesday's win will provide a boost, despite the fact that starting forward Josette Campbell will once again be out of action due to an ankle sprain.
"We're trying to keep everyone on an even keel," NWF State coach Bart Walker said. "We got a win and (Gulf Coast) got beat. It shows that they're not infallible. We played a great second half against them last time, so we've got a shot."