@NJCAALubbock Preview: Tallahassee vs. Shelton State

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LUBBOCK, Texas (March 21) - The Tallahassee Community College Eagles are just hours away from playing their first NJCAA tournament game since 2001. 

No. 7 seed Tallahassee will face tenth-seed Shelton (Ala.) State Community College at 9 p.m. eastern in the Round of 16. The winner advances to Thursday's quarterfinals against the winner of the (2) Odessa (Texas) College and (15) South Georgia Technical College. 

About the Eagles

Tallahassee (23-7) returns to the national tournament for the first time since 2001 as one of eight teams to receive an at-large bid to the 24-team event. Seeded seventh, the Eagles received the second-highest at-large seed, behind only Panhandle Conference rival and No. 3 seed Chipola College...Tallahassee broke a seven-year postseason drought by receiving an at-large bid to the NJCAA District 8/FCSAA State Tournament in Ocala, Fla. There, the Eagles knocked off Palm Beach State (97-86) before being eliminated by eventual champion Gulf Coast State...Tallahassee will dress nine players in Lubbock — sophomores Lawriell Wilson, Janessa Murphy, Rosanna Jenije and Lindsay John and freshmen Japonica James, Jas Hill, Kiara Gaines, Shaigna Wentz and Sina Ulbe. Sophomore Aryn Tarver is with the team but suffered a season-ending knee injury on January 24 and will not play. 

Meet Tallahassee head coach Franqua "Q" Bedell

Franqua "Q" Bedell is wrapping up his fourth season at Tallahassee and fifth overall as an NJCAA head coach. To date, Bedell is 70-50 as the Eagles' head coach — and combined with a 33-4 mark in his only season as head coach at Southeastern Illinois College (2007-08), he has an overall NJCAA coaching record of 103-54. He won his 100th career NJCAA game on February 4, 2017, an 80-72 victory at Northwest Florida State. Since taking over the Eagles in 2013, Bedell has guided the team to 15 wins over nationally-ranked opponents, including ten this season. 

Bedell is also joining rare company, becoming one of just a handful of coaches to bring two different schools to the NJCAA Tournament. In 2008, he coached Southeastern Illinois to a No. 6 national ranking and sixth-place finish at the national tournament in Salina, Kan. That season, he was named Coach of the Year by the Greater River Athletic Conference, Illinois Basketball Coaches Association and NJCAA Region 24. 

The 4-1-1 on Shelton State

• Head coach: Madonna Thompson | Record: 31-2 | Region: 22 (Alabama) | Seed: 10 | NJCAA rank: 8 | Common opponents: Northeast Mississippi, Pensacola State
• How it qualified for Lubbock: Won the NJCAA District N Tournament. Defeated Gadsden State (87-51), Wallace State-Hanceville (85-42) and Chattahoochee Valley (70-55)
• Top players: G Cierra Johnson (Region 22 Player of the Year, 16.3 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 6.4 apg), F Raven Russell (10.3 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 0.8 apg), G Kim Parrish (10.7 ppg, 1.4 rpg, 1.6 apg)

Tallahassee and Shelton State have played two common opponents during the 2016-17 season: Northeast Mississippi and Pensacola State. 

Tallahassee went a combined 3-1 against the duo while Shelton State was a combined 2-1. Here's how they fared: 

Tallahassee (3-1)

• vs. Northeast Mississippi (1-0): Won, 109-69
• vs. Pensacola State (2-1): Lost, 100-89; Won, 106-70; Won, 101-75

Shelton State (2-1)

• vs. Northeast Mississippi (2-0): Won, 99-78; Won, 78-62
• vs. Pensacola State (0-1): Lost, 75-67

Flashback: 2001

Tallahassee's only other appearance in the NJCAA Division I Women's Basketball Championship came in 2001. The Eagles made the most of their stay in Salina, bringing home a third-place finish — at the time, equaling the best finish in the tournament for a Panhandle Conference school. 

After a 2-3 start, Tallahassee won its final nine non-conference games to enter Panhandle Conference action with a record of 11-3.  Tallahassee won eight of its final nine league contests, the only loss coming to PC Champion Gulf Coast State, to claim the conference's runners-up berth in the postseason with an 11-4 mark.  Tallahassee entered the region tournament on a four-game winning streak, but it took a pair of Houdini-like performances to advance to its third straight championship game.  

In the quarterfinal round, the Eagles overcame a 19-point, second half deficit to defeat Miami Dade College, 79-75, in overtime.  Two days later, Tallahassee again erased a double-digit deficit and defeated Northwest Florida State College, 74-71, in overtime.  On March 10, 2001, Tallahassee defeated Daytona State College, 76-67, to win the region championship. 

In Salina, Kan., the sixth-seeded Eagles breezed through the opening round with a 72-52 win over Louisburg.  In the quarterfinals, they knocked off top-seed Tyler, to set up a Final Four showdown against local favorite Cloud County.  In front of a partisan Cloud County crowd, Tallahassee fell to the Lady Thunderbirds, 105-96 in overtime, ending the Eagles' championship aspirations.  Cloud County won the NJCAA Championship the next evening while Tallahassee defeated Eastern Oklahoma State in the consolation game. 

Syreeta Bromfield, Tai Wilson, and Dayana Lorza were first-team All-PC selections. Bromfield added an All-FCSAA honor to her resume and was joined by Wilson  and Jennifer Stegall on the FCSAA All-Tournament Team.  Wilson was also the Tournament MVP and was selected to the NJCAA All-Tournament squad.  Coach Teresa Atkinson won her first FCSAA and District VIII Coach of the Year awards. 

Tallahassee vs. the tournament field

Aside from its two Panhandle Conference rivals — Gulf Coast State and Chipola — only one other participant in Lubbock appeared on the Eagles' 2016-17 schedule — Walters State. The teams played a neutral site game in Niceville, Fla., in mid-December and the Eagles won, 85-66. 

Tallahassee has dropped three of four meetings to Gulf Coast State this season and is 1-2 vs. Chipola. 

Tallahassee vs. the tournament field, Part II

Wondering how the Eagles have fared all-time against this year's tournament field? Here's the answer:

• Chipola: 26-40
• Cochise: Teams have never played
• Gulf Coast State: 9-59
• Harford: Teams have never played
• Hutchinson: Teams have never played
• Iowa Western: Teams have never played
• Jones County: Teams have never played
• Monroe: Teams have never played
• Motlow State: 1-0
• Northeastern Oklahoma A&M: Teams have never played
• North Dakota State: Teams have never played
• Odessa: Teams have never played
• Salt Lake: Teams have never played
• San Jacinto: 1-0
• Seward County: 0-1
• Shelton State: 1-1
• South Georgia Tech: 8-1
• South Plains: Teams have never played
• Trinity Valley: 0-1
• Tyler: 2-0
• Wabash Valley: Teams have never played
• Walters State: 3-1
• Western Nebraska: Teams have never played

Wilson rewrites the record books

It's fitting that Lawriell Wilson's NJCAA career will close with an appearance in the national tournament, because she has re-written the Eagles' record books during her two seasons with the Blue & Gold. 

In Tallahassee's 97-86 win over Palm Beach State in the Region 8 Tournament, Wilson tied the school's single-game scoring record with 39 points, also a postseason record for the Eagles. That same night, she became the Eagles' single-season scoring leader (surpassing the previous record of 601 by Jacqueline Hodnett in 1994-95) and career scoring leader (surpassing the previous record of 1,055 by Syreeta Bromfield from 1999-01). She has also broken the school record for career field goals made (405) and attempted (916), single-season field goal attempted (542), single-game field goals attempted (30), most free throws made in a game without a miss (14) and is within striking distance of the single-season record for field goals made. She arrives in Lubbock with 660 points this season and 1,109 for her career — and she missed five games due to injury as a freshman! 

Battle tested

Tallahassee's strength of schedule is rated No. 1 in the country by Massey Ratings. Bolstered by the strength of the Panhandle Conference, the Eagles have played 16 games against nationally-ranked opponents — and posted a 10-6 record in those games. Here's a recap: 

• Tallahassee 84, #24 Daytona State 62
• Tallahassee 107, #8 (DIII) West Georgia Tech 53
• Tallahassee 85, #22 Georgia Highlands 58
• Tallahassee 85, #15 Walters State 66 (NCV)
• #15 Pensacola State 100, Tallahassee 89
• Tallahassee 89, #1 Gulf Coast State 78
• #3 Chipola 91, Tallahassee 86
• Tallahassee 80, #15 Northwest Florida State 70
• Tallahassee 106, #14 Pensacola State 70
• #2 Gulf Coast State 78, Tallahassee 62
• Tallahassee 83, #4 Chipola 73
• Tallahassee 80, #20 Northwest Florida State 72
• #3 Gulf Coast State 92, Tallahassee 82
• #6 Chipola 88, Tallahassee 76
• Tallahassee 97, #17 Palm Beach State 86
• #3 Gulf Coast State 99, Tallahassee 69
• Tallahassee vs. #8 Shelton State — ??

Welcome back to Texas

The trip to Lubbock is not the first time the Eagles crossed the Texas state line this season. Tallahassee traveled to Athens, Texas, in November to participate in the Budke/Serna Classic at Trinity Valley Community College, There, the Eagles picked up two wins, knocking off McLennan, 101-63, and Panola, 90-71. The Eagles also won two games at the event in 2015 and are 6-4 all-time when playing in the Lone Star State. 

Tallahassee places three on coaches' all-PC teams

Three Eagles — Lawriell Wilson, Japonica James and Jas Hill—were named First-team All-Panhandle Conference by league coaches. Wilson was voted Player of the Year, just the second Eagle ever to receive the honor, while James was named Freshman of the Year. 

PC media like the Eagles, too

Like the coaches, the Panhandle Conference media selected Wilson, James and Hill to the all-conference first-team. James and Hill were also named to the All-Freshman team. Wilson shared Conference Player of the Year honors with Gulf Coast State's Taylor Emery, and James was named Freshman of the Year. 

More honors for the Eagles

Lawriell Wilson continued to make history for Tallahassee when she was named the FCSAA State Player of the Year — the first Eagle ever to win the honor. She and Japonica James were named FCSAA First-team All-State/All-NJCAA Region 8. The duo also picked up FCSAA All-Tournament Team honors. 

But, perhaps, the biggest honor came last week when Wilson and James were named first-team All-America by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA). The duo were the only teammates on the 10-player first-team. 

Chaos 40!

Coach Q's Chaos 40 brand of basketball has been on full display this season. Tallahassee brings the nation's third-highest scoring offense to Lubbock, averaging a school record 90.3 points per game. Thanks to eight 100-point games this season — also a school record — the Eagles are just 51 points away from setting a school record for most points in a season. The 2000-01 squad scored a 2,759 points, but needed 36 games to accomplish the feat. 

It doesn't hurt that Tallahassee boasts three players in the top 29 in scoring nationally — Lawriell Wilson (T-2nd, 22.0 ppg), Jas Hill (14th, 19.5 ppg), Japonica James (29th, 17.8 ppg).