Following Gulf Coast’s dominant national title run in 2015-16 that featured 32 wins in 33 games, it seemed highly unlikely that the Lady Commodores would make it two in a row after losing their top two players.
The departure of GC’s dominant post duo of Kristina King and Audrey-Ann Caron-Goudreau – who moved on to West Virginia and Texas respectively – paired with a season-ending injury to starting guard Amanda Paschal in the preseason cast doubt on Gulf Coast’s championship hopes.
But the sophomore group of Maria Castro, Shaterrika O’Neal, Raven Fox, LaSonja Edwards, and Ty Purifoy combined with Tulane transfer Taylor Emery and freshman Shayla Bennett proved to be a championship core after all.
They led the Lady Commodores to their fifth national crown and gave coach Roonie Scovel the first repeat title of her legendary career.
Paschal’s injury was not the only malady to befall the Lady Commodores. A head injury in the preseason kept Fox out of action for nine regular-season games, and 6-foot-4 center and Purdue commitment Fatou Diagne suffered a season-ending injury before Panhandle Conference play.
Despite those setbacks, the Lady Commodores showed relatively few signs of vulnerability during the season, winning their first 18 games and 34 of 36 overall, including 22 by 20 or more points. Their only two losses came against Tallahassee and Chipola, both of whom ended up playing in the national tournament in Lubbock, Texas.
Gulf Coast finished 10-2 in Panhandle Conference play and stormed through the state tournament, routing Central Florida by 39 points and Tallahassee by 30 before beating Chipola 80-72 in the title game.
The Lady Commodores continued to roll in Lubbock, winning all four games by double figures and routing Trinity Valley in the national title game for the second straight year.
Emery led Gulf Coast with 32 points in an 88-70 first-round win over Harford, while Castro paced the Lady Commodores with 23 points on 7 of 10 from the 3-point line in an 83-72 win over Seward County.
GC knocked off Salt Lake 80-64 in the semifinal behind 22 points from Emery, who was named the Most Valuable Player at the national tournament for averaging 20.3 points on 49 percent shooting from the field and 37 percent from the 3-point line.
Emery, who has since moved on to play for Virginia Tech, also took MVP honors in the state tournament after averaging 26 points over three games. But it was more than a one-woman show for the Lady Commodores, who had four players score more points than Emery in their 87-63 win over Trinity Valley.
Gulf Coast had an impressive blend of skill, experience, and depth, but Scovel said it was her team’s mental toughness in facing and overcoming adversity that impressed her the most.
"They’re just so resilient," Scovel said. "There was nothing that happened that they couldn’t handle. Lots of crazy things happened and they overcame every bit of it and just kept playing. Somebody always stepped up to the plate."