DOUGLAS — On Wednesday night, the Cochise College women’s basketball team will host its first NJCAA Region I Championship Tournament game in at least the last 20 years.
The Apaches are seeded second in the tournament and face third-seeded Arizona Western in the semifinals at 7:30 p.m. on the Douglas Campus. Cochise College students with an ID are admitted to the game free. For the general public, admission is $5 for adults and $3 for children.
“As a program, we are excited about the opportunity to host the first round of the playoffs,” Cochise head coach Laura Hughes said. “All of the teams’ hard work during the preseason and season has paid off.”
The winner of the semifinal game in Douglas will move on to Friday’s Region I championship game against the winner of the other semifinal game Wednesday night between Central Arizona and Eastern Arizona.
“Arizona Western does a great job of scoring in the paint and limiting teams offensively. It will be a challenge for us to limit their posts touches and stay disciplined on offense,” Hughes said. “This year’s Cochise women’s basketball team is a special group. They know how to win and, most importantly, stay with things on the court. We are focused on keeping our season going one game at a time.”
The Cochise men are seeded fourth in their tournament and travel to take on top-seeded Central Arizona College on Thursday night. The winner of that game will move on to Saturday’s Region I championship game against the winner of the other semifinal game Thursday night between Arizona Western and Mesa.