Joseph DeAngelis
Published: March 3 2004
Many basketball programs would be content with a 25-5 record, a national ranking and a berth in the state tournament.
But the 23rd ranked PJC’s Lady Pirates are not content; they are hungry.
After winning their first 18 games, the Lady Pirates finished second in the Panhandle Conference and qualified for the Florida/Region 8 Tournament for the first time since 1996.
PJC will take on Southern Conference champion Palm Beach March 4, in the first round of the state tournament in Marianna. Three tournament wins would clinch the school’s second state title and a berth in the national tournament.
Coach Vicki Carson says this team is one of the best in school history, but she also knows this season could have been even more special.
A midseason slump kept the Lady Pirates from winning their first conference title since the mid 1990s.
PJC started the season with a young team that featured just four returning sophomores and nine freshmen.
The Lady Pirates found success early using a fast break attack, but as the season wore on, the team diversified its attack.
Freshman Dominique Washington, an Escambia High graduate, led the team in scoring, followed by sophomore LaTanya Jones.
Together, they kept teams from keying on one player to shut down the PJC offense.
Sophomore Tiffany Wingo and freshman center Tameka Kelly gave the Lady Pirates some presence on the boards. The team averaged 43 rebounds a game during the regular season.
Freshman point guard Sonya Coleman beat out Rosheeka Boone and Fredericka Warmack for the starting job early in the season and provided stability as a shooter and a passer.
The team set an early season goal to qualify for the state tournament as the conference’s third-place team. But a quick start fueled hopes for even more.
PJC went unbeaten against non-conference opponents and won its first three conference games easily, fueling hopes for more.
Ranked No. 3 in the national polls at the time, the unbeaten Lady Pirates played a crucial conference game in Panama City against defending national champion Gulf Coast on Jan. 17.
The Lady Commodores were ranked No. 1 in Florida and No. 2 in the nation, but PJC gave them all they could handle.
In the end, the Lady Pirates fell just short, losing 65-62. The loss created a domino effect, as PJC lost three of its next four games.
Despite the slump, Carson believes the loss to Gulf Coast actually helped the team.
“I could say it was a turning point for the good, because after that we ended up losing to Tallahassee at home by 12, and Chipola at the buzzer over there,” said Carson.
“From that, I think the team realized that we could not just live on our five starters being the scorers, being the productive ones, and our substitutes coming in and making an impact.”
After a second loss to Gulf Coast, this time by 21 points at home, the Lady Pirates won six of their last seven games to finish 10-5 in conference play.
But again, Gulf Coast proved to be PJC’s nemesis, earning a season-sweep over PJC with a 72-51 win in Panama City on Feb. 18.
“I was pleasantly surprised at conference play, but I guess I got a little greedy because I really felt like we could beat Gulf Coast,” Carson said. “But we couldn’t put two halves together. We’d play either a great first half and they’d get the 10-point lead in the second half or vice versa.”
But Carson says this is a new phase of the season and is optimistic about the team’s chances.
“The team definitely matured as the season went on. After 30 basketball games, we’re no longer nine freshman and four sophomores,” she said.
The next step comes in the tournament, where Carson’s teams have enjoyed success in the past. PJC has won nine conference titles and qualified for state 15 times under Carson.
The Lady Pirates won the state title in 1985 and finished second in 1993. Both times, PJC was considered a long shot to even make it to the final game.
“I’ve upset the No. 1 seed I can’t tell you how many times at the state tournament, so you just have to go out there and see how they’re going to respond and try to coach them through that,” said Carson, who currently holds a 468-241 record in 24 seasons at PJC.
The Lady Pirates won’t be sneaking up on anyone this year.
“We just need to play as a team and just give it all we got,” said Washington. “I think we have everything we need to win the state championship. We just have to bring it all together.”
The winner of the PJC-Palm Beach game will then play the winner of the match up between two nationally ranked teams – host Chipola (22-6, No. 25 in the nation) and Central Florida (23-7, No. 13).
Top-seeded Gulf Coast plays Daytona Beach and Seminole battles Miami-Dade in the other bracket PJC would not have to face the Lady Commodores until the state championship, if both teams advance that far.
“It’s looks great on paper, and Gulf Coast is in the other bracket,” Carson said. “I’ve said all along, I really feel like this is our year.”