By ALLI SCHIEBER
Editor-in-Chief
Northwestern Rangers and Lady Ranger basketball teams head to the GAC tournament together for the first time since NWOSU joined the GAC.
The Lady Rangers have had a successful season with Coach Tasha Diesselhorst getting 100 career wins and winning GAC coach of the week and Faith Simpson winning GAC player of the week six times.
The Lady Rangers did not make it to the GAC tournament last year by a tie breaker.
When the Lady Rangers were last at the tournament, they lost to Harding 67-50 in the first round.
Junior Carly Craig said she thinks that being so close to making it to the tournament last year opened their eyes.
“I think we came in this year even more focused to not only make the tournament but to try and put us in the best position to win it, and I believe we’ve done that,” Craig said. “I don’t think this team is ready — I know this team is ready.”
Diesselhorst said she thinks that the success from the season is largely due to the team being more experienced this season than they were last year. Most of the team this year are upperclassmen.
Craig said the coaches this year have also done a great job at preparing them for the tournament.
The men’s basketball team has also made it to the GAC tournament this year.
The men’s team last made it to the GAC tournament two years ago, where they lost to Southern Arkansas University 72-63 in the first round.
Both the men and women’s team will take on Northwester’s biggest rival, Southwestern Oklahoma State University on Friday.
The men play first at 2:15 p.m. and the women play at 8 p.m. on Friday.
In the regular season, the Lady Rangers defeated SWOSU by more than 10 points both times they have played them. The men’s team lost by three to SWOSU the first time they played them this season.
The second time however, Northwestern won 78-72.
