By By ERIKA PICKLES / Niles Daily Star
NILES - The National Junior College Athletic Association Division II Women's Basketball National Championships are being held this week in Phoenix, AZ.
Kalamazoo Valley Community College will be among the twelve teams in attandance at the tournament, which kicks off today.
The Cougars are home to two former Niles High School basketball players, Amber Peters and Kate Whittaker, who both graduated in 2005.
Peters is continuing her role as point guard and, as head coach Ron Welch stated on the team's website, she is a very strong candidate for that position.
Whittaker is also continuing her role as a strong post player. Welch stated that he, along with his coaching staff, are very impressed with her post play.
Kalamazoo Valley, seeded seventh and ranked No. 12 in the NJCAA polls, consists of a very young team, which includes three sophomores and eight freshmen on the active roster.
The Cougars, who are 25-7 entering the championship, claimed the Western Conference title and won the District G Region XII Championship. This marks the fourth time in the last seven years that coach Welch has taken his Lady Cougars to the national tourney.
Kalamazoo Valley will take on Mercyhurst (PA.) North East (22-7) tonight at 7 p.m. Mountain Time (9 p.m. EST) at Phoenix University.
The winner will play on Friday at 7 p.m. (EST) against the Kankakee/Mott winner.
The loser will play on Friday at 2 p.m. (EST) against the Bismarck State/Prince Georges loser.
The championship will conclude on Saturday, with the final game being held at 9 p.m. (EST).