By Terry Douglass
terry.douglass@theindependent.com

The third-seeded Broncos (27-4) will travel to Orange City, Iowa, to play second-seeded Northwestern (28-2) at 2 p.m. on Saturday. At the same time, top seed Morningside (Iowa) 29-2 and ranked No. 2 in the country will host fifth-seeded and 19-10 Mount Marty (S.D.) in Sioux City, Iowa.

The winners advance to Tuesday's championship game where the winner receives an automatic bid to the national tournament. If regular-season GPAC champion Morningside also wins the conference tournament, then the tournament runner-up also gets an automatic bid.

Due to its lofty national ranking, Hastings is all but guaranteed to receive at least an at-large bid for the national tournament. However, Broncos coach Tony Hobson said his team would obviously like another shot at Northwestern and to have a chance to earn their way to Sioux City for the national tournament.

"We had them on the ropes last time and let them off," Hobson said of Hastings' 67-63 loss at Northwestern on Jan. 5. "I think our kids are excited to go up there and try them again."

The Red Raiders are led by All-American Deb Remmerde, who averages 29.9 points. The senior shoots an impressive 52.6 percent (103-of-196) from 3-point range and is a 97.1-percent shooter (135-of-139) at the free-throw line.

Amy Larson adds 17.4 points per game and Randa Hulstein averages 10.4 for Northwestern. The Red Raiders average 89.9 points a contest.

"They are, offensively, probably the best team in the conference and senior-laden," Hobson said. "They start five of them and have got another senior coming off the bench, so they're hungry.

"They want to win something this year. They've been together a long time and haven't ever really gone as far as they would've hoped."

If the Red Raiders have a weak spot, Hobson said, it's their ability to handle pressure defense. Pressure defense just happens to be a major strength for the Broncos, but against Northwestern, it's a dangerous proposition.

"They do not handle pressure that great, but the thing is, when they do beat your pressure and if they do get it in Remmerde's hands, it's guaranteed points," Hobson said. "They know how to attack you once they do break (the press)."

Still, Hobson said the Broncos won't shy away from what they do best. Hastings only allows an average of 55.7 points per game.

"We'll have to pressure them and it will have to be effective for us to be able to beat them," Hobson said. "That's for sure."

Hastings sophomore forward Heather McKeon said it's going to take a big defensive effort for the Broncos to pull the upset.

"Offensively, we're going to get looks," said McKeon, a Ravenna graduate who has topped the 20-point mark off the bench in each of her last two games. "We always do, and we're going to have to knock some shots down, but I think on the defensive end, we've got to stop Deb Remmerde and they have other good shooters.

"We've got to go in there and play really hard defense to get a victory in that one."

Hastings' quest is made more difficult by certain and potential personnel losses. Two weeks ago, the Broncos lost leading scorer and starting center Lindsay Ducey (18 points per game) for the remainder of with a broken foot.

In Thursday night's 77-51 quarterfinal victory over Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.), second-leading scorer Kay Broekemeier injured her foot in the second half and didn't return. Hobson said the status of the Central City junior guard, who averages 12.7 points a game, is questionable.

If Broekemeier can't play, the Broncos won't have a single player on the court averaging double figures in points.

"We'll be the underdog," Hobson said. "We'll go up there, give it a shot and see what we can do."