Women's Basketball | 1/18/2017 8:00:00 AM
LAKELAND, Fla. - The Fire continued their march to an undefeated season with a pair of wins over the second and third ranked teams in the Sun Conference this past week. On the upcoming docket, the Fire will square off against two teams fighting for a playoff spot.
Game 17: Southeastern University (16-0, The Sun Conference 8-0) at Warner University (7-11, The Sun Conference 2-5)
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Game 18: Southeastern University (16-0, The Sun Conference 8-0) vs. Webber International University (4-12, The Sun Conference 1-5)
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Three Out of Five: It is one thing to have one Sun Conference leader on a team but to have three different conference leaders is absurd. The Fire are home to Sarah Green the leader in blocks, Alyssa Ramos the leader in assists, and Ana Richter the leader in steals. While all three women are dominant in their specialized category, they also play important roles in other areas of the game.
Green, a UCF transfer and known as the Fire's "Human Eraser," also plays a key role in the rebounding efforts. Thus far, the Columbia, South Carolina native has gathered 84 rebounds, 34 of which are offensive. Her presence in the paint allows her to generate on average 9.6 points per game.
The conductor of the high-powered freight train that is the Fire offense, comes in the form of Ramos. With her advanced basketball IQ and ability to shoot the deep ball, the Carlsbad, California native is a threat that many teams have a tough time stopping. She averages 10.1 points per game and has drained 38 three-pointers which is good for second best on the team.
Rounding off the trio is the Miami (Ohio) transfer Richter. The junior is one of the many well-rounded players on the Fire roster. Her ability to interrupt passing lanes is one of the reasons why she is currently the conference's leader in steals. Richter is also averaging 11 points per game and is shooting 49 percent from the floor.
Previous Meetings With Webber: Dating back to the 2009-10 season, the Fire are 10-7 against the Warriors. During their meeting in November, the Fire were able to defeat the Warriors handling, 86-62. In the defeat, the Warriors had big point contributions from both Emmarrie Carmen and Quanthavia Stalworth who totaled 15 and 13 points respectively.
Stalworth, a senior from Miami, Florida ranks ninth in all of Division II NAIA basketball in blocks per game (1.83). She also plays a big role in the rebounding efforts collecting 91 boards in the season thus far.
Even though she did not have a breakout performance against the FIre, Victoria Baggett has been leading the Warrior offense. A senior native of Gainesville, Florida averages 12 points per game and has recorded a team leading 45 steals.
Previous Meetings with Warner: In the past four seasons, the Fire have been undefeated against the Royals. However, in the overall record, the Fire are only 9-8 against the Royals dating back to the 2009-10 season.
Both teams met earlier in the season inside the Furnace and the Fire took advantage of playing on their home court. Southeastern was able to capture a 35 point victory over the Royals despite the 13 point game from the Royals very own Sara Poehiman.
In the upcoming matchup, head coach John Dunlap will need explosive play from his offensive leader Kaley Schmick along with others. In her 2016-17 campaign, Schmick averages 10.4 points per game.
Closing Thoughts: If either team hopes to keep the game close against the Fire, Webber and Warner must find ways to nullify the Fire's perimeter shooting and matchup in the paint against Southeastern's
Christin Strawbridge and Green. Doing so is easier said than done, as the Fire have been able to shoot lights out from the perimeter and dominate inside of the paint all season. Teams find an extra burst of enthusiasm when Sun Conference play appears on the calendar, however, will it be enough to defeat an unbeatable team, that is the question.
