NOVA's Kasee Hilliard lays up a short shot under the basket on her way to 14 points despite Southside Virginia Community College guarding in the VCCS finals in Chesapeake on March 4. Photo by Arch Scurlock

By: Arch Scurlock
Sports Columnist

The Northern Virginia Community College women’s basketball team captured their first Virginia Community College System championship at the tournament in Chesapeake over the weekend of March 3.

NOVA romped to a 92-61 win over Thomas Nelson Community College in the semifinal on Saturday and to an 81-51 victory over Southside Virginia Community College in the championship game on Sunday afternoon.

Besides receiving the championship banner and a giant plaque, NOVA’s Carlie Zirkle won the MVP tournament award, and she, Yvette Gilliom and Halley Cummins were selected for the all-tournament team.

For the season, NOVA finished at 8-0 in VCCS games and 15-9 overall. This year was the last opportunity for NOVA to win this tournament since next year it will compete in an NJCAA tournament.

The happy Coach Wayne Vincent, who is in his third year, expressed his appreciation after the game for the season-long efforts of the players and coaches. He said that the players had really been the reason for NOVA’s success, and he applauded the way those players had come together and played so well as a team, and the way they had progressed to playing their best basketball of the season. Vincent was very proud of them and happy for them.

NOVA never had a full squad of players, seven at the most. It often had to play with only one substitute and fortunately gained a competent sub after losing a player after the first semester. The team showed marked improvement over the season under Coach Vincent and gained the endurance to play well for the entire game, though players saw a lot of court time. However, the team had to cancel three games in early February due to not being able to field a full team because of injury and sickness.

First substitute Hoda Nasseri showed remarkable improvement in becoming a strong sixth player and several players progressed well over the season. Paris Cantrell was the lone holdover from last year’s team.

After the three canceled games in early February, NOVA came back a bit rusty but still easily defeated Lord Fairfax Community College on Feb. 18 in Front Royal by 64-46. The next game on Feb. 22 against a superior (22-4) Hagerstown Community College team saw them get trampled 63-33, but they recovered in time for their Feb. 25 home game at Flint Hill High School in Oakton to themselves trample Thomas Nelson Community College, 73-27.

Traveling to Lawrenceville on Feb. 26, NOVA beat Southside 85-67, which at that time had also been undefeated in the VCCS but lost its last regular season game on Feb. 28 to a strong (20-8) Frederick Community College team in Frederick, Md., 78-70.

In the VCCS semifinal game against Thomas Nelson, NOVA sprinted out to a 43-21 first half lead on the way to its 92-61 win. NOVA had five players in double figures, with Zirkle leading with 27 and Cummins next with 22.

There was some suspense before the championship game on the question of whether NOVA could duplicate its win of the previous Sunday over Southside. NOVA led by only 33-25 at the half but poured it on in the second half, winning 81-51.

NOVA again had five players in double figures, led again by Zirkle with 17. Cummins, who had been dormant in the first half, woke up in the second half and scored all 15 of her points. Kasee Hilliard added 14, Nasseri added 13, and Gilliom contributed 11.

Though NOVA women’s teams have suffered frustrations in the tournament the last several years, winning the championship was easy this year. Three years ago the team lost 83-81 in the semi-finals to the eventual champion. Two years ago it lost 53-51 in the finals. And last year it lost in the finals. This year, NOVA won all the games it played in the regular season over VCCS teams by an average of 25 points, with the lowest margin of victory at 15 points.

By: Arch Scurlock

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