Archers advance, will play Penn Valley for Region XVI title

Archers advance, will play Penn Valley for Region XVI title

STLCC women hang on, defeat North Central to reach Region title game 

If there were ever an example to display how difficult it can be to defeat one team three times in the same season, Friday evening’s Region XVI semifinal would be a good one to choose.

St. Louis Community College’s women’s basketball team held on for a 77-75 victory over North Central College on Friday evening, earning them a berth in the Region XVI final Saturday evening. The win avenged a loss to North Central in the Region tournament each of the past two seasons, and followed up a pair of convincing wins in the regular season. The Archers defeated North Central 88-66 at the STLCC-Forest Park campus on February 6, and romped to an 82-60 win on the road on January 16. 

Friday’s win set up a Region XVI title matchup with Metropolitan Community College-Penn Valley Saturday at 6 pm. This will be the second matchup in a span of eight days between the two teams. The Archers defeated Penn Valley 67-64 on Feb. 20. STLCC also routed the Scouts 91-60 in the two teams’ meeting in St. Louis on Jan. 23.

A win Saturday would advance STLCC to the District P playoff, which would be hosted at STLCC-Forest Park on March 5, for a berth in the NJCAA tournament. Head Coach Shelly Ethridge last guided the Archers to a regional title in 2012-13.