Written By Christopher Mercer, Sports Editor. Photo Courtesy of Flickr 

The VSU Lady Blazers’ season ended with a loss to the West Florida Argonauts 66-52 in the first round of the Gulf South Conference.  

Going into this contest, both teams had split the prior meetings between these two schools. West Florida took the first matchup on the road in Valdosta on Dec. 14 in a thrilling 64-62. The Lady Blazers would win the second matchup in Pensacola, Florida, on Feb. 1 in overtime, 75-69. 

Despite a valiant effort on the road, the Lady Blazers couldn’t keep up with the Lady Argonauts’ hot shooting. They were led by forward Bella Green, who scored 22 points and 11 rebounds. The Lady Blazers had substantial contributions from Foward Kiersten “Tootie” Nelson, who scored 14 points, seven rebounds, and two steals. 

Despite the Lady Blazers going on an 8-0 run in the first quarter, the Lady Argonauts stormed back in the second quarter to take a six-point lead going into halftime. In the fourth quarter, the Lady Blazers got within one point thanks to Jacey Justice’s three-pointer to make it 51 -50 before the Lady Argonauts went on a 16 to two run in the final five minutes to pull away at the end.  

The Lady Argonauts were lights out from the field in the fourth quarter, shooting 66 percent while holding the Lady Blazers to 33 percent. Although the Lady Blazers forced 19 turnovers in the game, it wasn’t enough to win.  

The Lady Argonauts’ win advances them to the semi-final matchup in Birmingham, Alabama, against the Alabama Huntsville Lady Chargers this Saturday, March. 8. The Lady Blazers will finish the 2024-2025 season with a 17-12 record overall.