Northwest Wayne News

The Wayne State women's basketball team has secured home court advantage for the GLIAC Tournament quarterfinals following recent victories against Ferris State and Lake Superior State. The Warriors will face Parkside on March 5 at the WSU Fieldhouse, with the game set to start at 5:30 PM.

Wayne State and Parkside have an all-time series record of ten wins each. This season, they split their two meetings, with Parkside winning 70-64 at Wayne State and Wayne State securing a 73-64 victory at Parkside. At home, Wayne State holds a record of five wins and six losses against Parkside.

Parkside finished its regular season with an overall record of 18-9 and a conference record of 13-7 in GLIAC play. Leading the Rangers is sophomore Cassidy Arni, who averages 14.3 points per game along with six rebounds and 2.3 assists. Chloe Van Zeeland contributes an average of 12.6 points per game, while Sheridan Flauger adds another 10.6 points and leads in assists with a total of 103 this season. Lillie Peterson leads the team in rebounds, having collected 206 so far.

Head Coach Jen Conely is in her seventh season leading Parkside, boasting a cumulative record of 106-75 under her guidance, including a GLIAC Tournament record of four wins and six losses.

Wayne State has played one of the toughest schedules in Division II basketball this year, ranking as the second hardest in the Midwest Region. Taylor Thompson is noted for her offensive rebounding skills, ranking first in the GLIAC and nationally placing 47th with an average of 3.2 offensive rebounds per game.

Senior forward Shea Tripp stands out as she ranks among active Division II players: she is fourth in career steals (232), which also places her high within program history; she ranks 49th in assists (328) and holds the position for points (1,261). Tripp was recently named GLIAC Offensive Player of the Week after strong performances against Ferris State and Lake Superior State.

Coach Carrie Lohr's squad has qualified for eight consecutive seasons in the GLIAC Tournament, holding a mixed opening round performance over recent years but demonstrating strong showings on home ground.

Shea Tripp has been selected as one of three national female finalists for the John Wooden Citizen Cup by Athletes for a Better World (ABW). The award honors athletes from collegiate to professional sports who exhibit outstanding character both on and off the field.

In their recent games against Ferris State and Lake Superior State, Wayne State emerged victorious with scores of 68-53 and 71-51 respectively. Key performances were seen from Tripp scoring double figures alongside contributions from other team members such as Koko Sylvester who excelled defensively with steals and blocks despite returning from injury earlier this year.

The NCAA is expected to release its final regional rankings on March 5 before selecting five at-large teams following conference championship outcomes scheduled for Sunday ahead of Midwest Regional matchups starting March 14.