By PHIL WATSON

Globe Correspondent

IRONWOOD -- Call it the year of "almost."

In a 13-10 season in which five of their 10 losses have been by five points or less, the Gogebic Community College Lady Samsons know about "almost" as they head into this weekend's NJCAA Division II Region 13 tournament, set for Sunday and Monday at the Lindquist Center on the campus of GCC.

"Our team is eagerly anticipating the Region 13 tournament," said coach Dennis Mackey. "We finished the regular season 13-10, but we feel we could have won several games we lost by close margins. Regardless, I feel we have improved throughout the season and we're capable of competing for the regional title."

Lack of proper care and handling of the basketball has been a problem for the Lady Samsons.

"Our Achilles' heel seems to be committing too many turnovers," Mackey said. "If we can minimize our turnovers, I think we will have a great opportunity to compete and put ourselves in a position to win."

The numbers would seem to bear Mackey out. GCC has outscored its opponents by nearly 10 points per game, an unexpected gap for a team just three games over .500.

The Lady Samsons open tournament play Sunday at 5:30 p.m. when they take on the Ladyjacks of Minot State University-Bottineau (10-18).

The other semifinal is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Sunday between the Bismarck State College Mystics (22-7) and the United Tribes Technical College Lady Thunderbirds. Those teams met Wednesday night, with Bismarck State posting an xx-xx win. The championship game is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Monday.

This will be the first time GCC has seen these three schools in regional play after moving from NJCAA Division I to Division II for this season. Bismarck State is the prohibitive favorite, as it has appeared in the NJCAA Division II national Top 15 at time this year. The Mystics are not currently ranked.

The Lady Samsons' look to the inside for their scoring production, with 5-11 sophomore Kristen Ruppe of Ironwood leading the team, averaging 16.5 points and 11.6 rebounds. But 6-0 sophomore Nichole Mazurek of Hurley also puts up big numbers for GCC, averaging 15.2 points and 9.5 rebounds.

"Kristen has led the team in scoring and rebounding both years while at GCC," Mackey said. "In fact, she has averaged double figures in both categories each year. Nichole is a very talented athlete who is capable of playing in the post or on the perimeter. She has provided double-digit scoring and excellent rebounding throughout her two years at GCC."

The third frontcourt spot is shared by 5-7 sophomore Nicole Rosga (Ironwood) and 5-8 freshman Carly Levra (Hurley). Rosga averaged 4.8 points per game, while Levra scored 6.2 per game.

"Nicole is a high-energy, high-effort player," Mackey said. "She prides herself on her defensive effort and has improved markedly as an offensive player. Carly gives the team much needed boosts in energy at both ends of the court. She provides excellent effort for our team on defense, rebounding and by running the floor."

Rosga and Levra usually draw the defensive assignment of guarding the other team's best scorer. Levra leads the team with three steals per game and Rosga is second at 2.5 per contest.

A trio staffs the backcourt, with 5-7 sophomore Janey Routheaux (Ironwood) playing both the point and off guard spots. Leslie Haapoja, a 5-4 sophomore from Bessemer, has moved into the starting lineup at point guard recently while Allison Coss, a 5-6 freshman from Bergland, provides key minutes.

Routheaux averages 11.5 points and 4.9 assists, while Haapoja is averaging 3.5 points and 2.5 assists. Coss checks in with 5.5 points and two assists. Routheaux is also averaging 4.5 rebounds.

"Janey plays the point and shooting guard positions," Mackey said. "She has provided double-digit scoring and great ballhandling throughout her two years. Leslie returned to the team for the second half of the season and brings energy to our defensive effort and provides stability to our ballhandling and perimeter play. Alli has provided very good play throughout the season as a point guard. She is a solid ballhandler and very good perimeter shooter."

The Lady Samsons also get quality minutes from Samantha Ervin, a 5-7 freshman from Mercer; Andrea Harrington, a 6-2 sophomore from Hurley, and Megan Tucker, a 5-6 freshman from Ontonagon.

"Sammi is a very athletic player who adds depth to our backcourt," Mackey said. "She is an excellent perimeter shooter. Andrea provides solid rebounding and very good perimeter shooting. She has improved her all-around game greatly during her two years here. Megan also provides very good perimeter shooting to the team. She's a good teammate as she provides support for everybody, all the time."

Mackey said the "x" factor may be the home cooking.

"I feel pretty good about our chances," Mackey said. "Overall, we're relatively healthy and we're playing well and playing well together. Playing at home will be a big advantage for a variety of reasons. We don't have to travel and we'll have the support of the home crowd."