Comer & Walters State open play in NJCAA National Women’s Basketball Tournament

TOP PHOTO: Former Campbell Lady Cougar Haley Comer and her Walters State Lady Senators are headed to NJCAA National Women’s Basketball Tournament. The 5-11 Comer has been a part of 33 wins, so far, in her two seasons at the Morristown school.

LUBBOCK, TX (WLAF) – The Walters State Lady Senators begin play Tuesday afternoon in their 17th big dance; the NJCAA National Women’s Basketball Tournament. Former Campbell Lady Cougar Haley Comer will be starting in her first national tournament.

At the Rip Griffin Center, Walters State, seeded 22nd, will face the Apache Ladies of Tyler Junior College in a 1 pm ET opening round contest. Tyler is the 11 seed.

Comer played in all 16 games this season. She’s averaging five points and four rebounds a game. Last season, Comer saw action in 30 games. Of her 46 college games, Comer has started half of them; starting in 15 contests as a freshman.

Tyler is southeast of Dallas along I-20 while Walters State is more than 1,200 miles from Lubbock at Morristown. The Apache Ladies are about six hours away from Lubbock. There is a Campbell County Lady Cougar connection with Comer, a sophomore, playing for Walters State. In the 1980s, former Lady Cougar Jill Cox played for Tyler Junior College.

The tournament starts today and runs through April 24 with 13 & 3 Walters State squaring off with 20 & 4 Tyler on Tuesday. The winner of Walters-Tyler moves into the second round to face No. 6 South Georgia Tech at 8 p.m. Wednesday. The Lady Jets, out of Americus, Georgia, have an opening round bye and are 22 & 3.

The Apache Ladies are appearing in their 14th NJCAA National Tournament, including eight under 21st year Head Coach Trenia Tillis-Hoard. Tyler won the national championship in 2000 and finished runner-up in 1979.

Walters State is coached by Jasmin Coleman. Coleman is in her first season as interim head coach leading the Lady Senators to the national tournament.

TJC (20-4) is the No. 11 seed and received an at-large bid after finishing second in both the Region XIV regular season and postseason.

Walters State claimed the TCCAA/Region VII Championship on Saturday (April 10) at Gallatin. The Lady Senators shrugged off a slow start and used a strong second quarter to cruise past the Lady Saluquis of Southwest Tennessee Community College of Memphis, 60-31.  (WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED – 04/19/2021-6AM)