2001 NJCAA National Tournament - 9th Place (21-14)
In the 1999-2000 season, the Johnson County Community College women’s basketball program established itself as one of the country’s premier NJCAA Division II programs by winning the national championship in its inaugural year of play at that level.
JCCC entered the 2000-01 campaign with aspirations of repeating as the national champion, and they came close to achieving that goal, finishing ninth in the 2001 NJCAA D-II Tournament in Hagerstown, Md. Although Johnson County was not able to hoist the national championship trophy again in 2001, they did not come home empty handed. The Cavaliers were honored with the BJ Graber Sportsmanship Award.
From the outset of the tournament, it had an eerie feeling of deja vu. The Lady Cavaliers opened the tournament against a familiar foe, South Suburban College, the same team it defeated in its championship run last season. Again this year, Johnson County prevailed 70-69, and nearly in the same manner.
Johnson County came out on fire, shooting a blistering 76 percent from the field, and took a 12-point lead into the locker room at the half. However, like last year, South Suburban made adjustments, and shut down the Cavaliers offense, holding them to 29 percent in the second half. South Suburban not only erased their 12-point halftime deficit, but built a six-point lead. But Johnson County came back and tied it at 64-64 on Casey Ellis’ three-pointer with just more than five minutes to left. A Shawna Loomis basket gave JCCC the lead, and they were able to hold on for the one-point victory, and advance to the quarterfinal round.
Freshman guard Lynsay Gallagher led Johnson County with 14 points and six assists. Sophomore center Gayla Brown added 12 points and seven rebounds. Ellis finished with 11 points and six rebounds.
The Cavaliers chance to repeat ended in the quarterfinal round, as the fell to a hot shooting Waldorf (Iowa) College squad, 66-59. Johnson County trailed by only three at the break, but Waldorf shot 54 percent for the game, and the one-two scoring punch of Carrie Norman and Krista Van Hauen proved too much. The pair scored 45 of their team’s 66 points. Johnson County struggled from the field, hitting only 31.7 percent of it shots.
Four players from Johnson County scored in double figures, led by Gallagher with 14 points, followed by Brown with 12, Ellis with 11 and Somer Easterwood with 10. Brown and Easterwood each pulled down nine rebounds, and point guard Rachel Lewis had six assists and three steals.
The loss dropped Johnson Count into the loser’s bracket against Northwest Shoals, and the Cavalier women were defeated 68-62, and knocked out of the national junior college Division II tournament. The loss dropped JCCC’s season mark to 21-14.
Johnson County’s shooting woes from their quarterfinal loss carried over. The Cavaliers shot a dismal 31 percent from the field, but it was the team’s struggles at the charity stripe that led their elimination. JCCC hit just 8-of-21 free throws. Ironically, it was JCCC’s ability to knock down its free throws last year that led them to the national title
“Overall I was pleased with the effort and team chemistry this year,” said head coach Debbie Carrier. “It is tough to win two in a row. I think there was a lot of pressure to repeat, but I’m extremely pleased with this team’s success. Last year we won the championship at the line, and this year we gave it back there. But the experience the freshman had playing in the national tournament will help us next season.”
2002 NJCAA National Tournament - 5th Place (22-14)
The Johnson County Community College women’s basketball team entered the 2001-02
campaign foccussed on reaching the NJCAA D-II National Tournament for a third straight season. After an up-and-down regular season, head coach Debbie Carrier had her squad playing on all cylinders when the postseason began.
JCCC earned its third trip to the national tournament with blowout victories over Hesston (89-50) in the Region VI Championship, and Bethany Lutheran (100-63) in the District Championship. The Lady Cavaliers followed by posting a 3-1 record in the national tournament, placing fifth in the country.
Johnson County opened the 2002 Championship against Shelton State, a rematch of JCCC’s semifinal win in 2000. Like that game two years earlier, JCCC struggled from the field in the first half, and trailed by two 30-28 at the break. But JCCC found its touch in the second half, and went on to win 74-64.
After a dispatching of Shelton State in the first round, JCCC faced a much larger Illinois Central squad, and for the second straight game, JCCC played one good half and one bad half of basketball. The Lady Cavaliers came out strong against the taller Illinois Central squad, and built a six-point lead by halftime, 30-24, backed by 50 percent shooting and easy buckets off Illinois Central turnovers. The second half was a completely different game. JCCC went ice cold, shooting just 20 percent from the field. Illinois Central took advantage of JCCC’s inaccuracy, and it height advantage, and won easily, 70-52.
After that disappointment and the realization that a title chance was gone, it would be easy to pack it in. Not this team. The Lady Cavaliers came back hungry and relentless, defeating Mott Community College 75-62, setting up a battle for fifth-place against Mesa Community College. Against Mesa, JCCC again came out determined, and built a 10-point lead at the break. JCCC was able to maintain that margin most of the second half, before settling for a seven-point victory, 74-67, and a fifth-place national finish.
In every tournament, there is usually one player, one performance that is forever etched in the memory of the competition. In the case of JCCC’s 2002 run through the NJCAA D-II tournament, two players stood out above the rest – sophomore Casey Ellis and freshman Kristin Crites.
For those close to the JCCC program, it was not surprising Ellis was one of the team’s leaders. However, Ellis didn’t just lead the team, she proved to be one of the tournament’s most outstanding players, earning all -tournament honors. Ellis averaged 17.5 points over the four games, and her 70 total points set a new team tournament record, breaking her mark of 45 set the year before. Ellis also poured in 24 points in the win over Mesa, setting a new single-game tournament record for points by a JCCC player. Ellis was JCCC’s leading scorer in the Lady Cavaliers win over Shelton State (20 points) and Mott (18 points).
The unlikely hero of the tournament was Crites, who elevated her game to a higher level. During the regular season, Crites was a leader because of her work ethic and positive attitude. At the national tournament, she was a leader because of her effort and production on the floor.
Entering the tournament, Crites was averaging 4.0 points per game, and was shooting 44 percent from the field and 71 percent from the line. She also had scored in double figures just once, an 18-point explosion against Highland. But in the national tournament, Crites played to a higher level, scoring in double figures in the first three games. She added eight in the fifth-place win over Mesa. Crites scored 46 points, an average of 11.7 per game, which ranks as the second highest total in a national tournament by a JCCC player. Crites also was a perfect 10-of-10 from the free throw line, and hit over 50 percent from the field.
While those two had their shining moment in the tournament, they didn’t do it alone. Sophomore Gina Wheat was impressive as well, averaging 8.3 points per game. She also was the team’s top rebounder, hauling in 7.3 per game. Sophomore Shawna Loomis directed the offense, dishing out 16 assists, the second highest total by a JCCC player in a national tournament. Freshmen Keri Vena and Andie Gurene came off the bench and provided ky performances for JCCC. Vena averaged 7.3 points, and Gurene tied with Crites for second rebounding, pulling down five boards per game.
2004 NJCAA National Tournament - 7th Place (20-15)
If there was ever year Johnson County’s women’s team wanted to make the national tournament it was in 2004. JCCC was awarded the opportunity to host the championship when Hagerstown Community College decided not to host. Fortunately for JCCC the road to the tournament also had to through JCCC, as the Cavaliers were hosts for the Region VI and District B Championships.
JCCC earned its third trip to the national tournament with blowout victories over Hesston (79-54) in the Region VI Championship, and Redlands (105-82) in the District Championship. The Lady Cavaliers followed by posting a 2-1 record in the national tournament, placing seventh the country.
JCCC opened the tournament against Owens Community College. Owens trailed the entire game, except the final 13 seconds, and came away with a three-point win, 62-59. The Lady Cavaliers let a 13-point second half lead slip away as Owens center Nicole Brown began to find room in the paint. Brown scored a game-high 23 points and hauled down 15 rebounds to lead the Express to the come-from-behind win. The Lady Cavaliers were led by freshman center Danielle Riekeberg who finished with 14 points and seven blocks shots. Sophomore Amanda Koetting added 13 points.
Just hours after blowing that second-half lead, JCCC bounced back with an impressive 82-68 victory over CC of Rhode Island, sending the ------Knights home from the tournament. Starters Laura Reeves and Liz Burks and reserves Colleen Kivett and Danielle Riekeberg powered the tournament hosts to the victory, and a chance to finish seventh in the country. Reeves, who led JCCC with 16 points, also had eight rebounds and four steals. Burks finished with 13 points, and had eight assists with just two turnovers. Kivett and Riekeberg came in off the bench to pour in 15 points each. They also added six and five rebounds respectively.
Fueled by a 10-point run against Kankakee in the seventh-place game, Johnson County built a 31-point lead by halftime and cruised to a 91-55 victory in the finals of consolation bracket. All 10 players for JCCC scored in the first half, led by sophomore Maegan Pulse’s 10-points. Six JCCC players finish the game scoring in double figures, led by Kivett, who finished with a game-high 18 points. She also led the team with nine rebounds. Also in double figures for JCCC were Pulse with 15, Burks with 12, Reeves and Chelsea Campbell with 11 each, and Riekeberg with 10 points. Kankakee, which shot just 13 percent in their nightmarish first half, had just one player in double figures, guard Kara Rewerts with 12 points.
At tournament time in basketball, players look to elevate their level of play, hoping to make a difference and help their team extend its season. The player that fit that role for the Johnson County Community College women’s basketball team this postseason was Kivett.
The Baldwin City native averaged 13.3 points per game, which led her team. She led all players in the tournament in field goal percentage (.700. 14-of-20) and free throw percentage (1.000, 8-of-8), and was second in 3-point field goal percentage (.800, 4-of-5). She also averaged six rebounds. Her efforts fueled the JCCC team to a seventh-place finish in the tournament.
Kivett’s performance was no surprise to JCCC head coach Debbie Carrier, in fact, she told her she needed shoot the ball more prior to the start of the national tournament.
“I asked the team before the tournament if they knew who had the best shooting percentage on the team, and it was Colleen,” said Carrier. “We need her to be shooting more.”
Carrier said Kivett’s deadly shooting is a result of her countless hours before and after practices working on her game.
“Over her two years here, Colleen stays after and comes before (practice) more than any player I’ve coached,” said Carrier.. “Her dedication and work ethic really paid off for her. It just doesn’t happen by accident.”
However, Kivett’s hot play was not just confined to the national tournament. She was the team’s leader the entire postseason. She averaged 13.8 points in five postseason games, and shot an amazing 74 percent. From 3-point range she was even better, hitting 7-of-9 shots for 78 percent, and she was a perfect 16-of-16 from the line. Kivett poured in 13 in JCCC’s 79-54 win against Hesston in the Region VI Championship, then followed with 16 points in the Lady Cavaliers’ 105-82 win over nationally ranked Redlands in the District B Championship, advancing JCCC to its fourth national tournament in five years. Kivett finished the year averaging 7.0 points, while shooting 53 percent from the field, and 81 percent from the line. In addition to her national all-tournament honor, she was named to the Region VI and District B All-Tournament teams.
2006 NJCAA National Tournament - 7th Place (23-12)
The Lady Cavaliers opened tournament play as the sixth seed, however, JCCC fell to an unseeded Community College of Rhode Island squad, 54-46, dropping Johnson County into the loser’s bracket. Cold shooting doomed JCCC, as the team shot just 20 percent from the floor in the first half, and 26 percent for the game, the team’s worst effort of the season. CCRI wasn’t much better, hitting just 39 percent, but the Lady Knights jumped out to an early 11-point lead and never trailed the rest of the way. Davenport led JCCC with 14 points and career-high 16 rebounds. Boan added 10 points for Lady Cavaliers.
After that disappointment and the realization that a title chance was gone, it would have been easy for JCCC to pack it in. However, the Lady Cavaliers came back the next day firing on all cylinders, hitting over 53 percent from the field, eliminating Mercyhurst Northeast from the tournament with a 92-77 victory.
Boan finished with a career-high 30 points, and tied a National Tournament record hitting eight 3-point field goals. Boan was 10-of-16 from the field, including 8-of-11 from 3-point range. Davenport followed with 25 points, and sophomore Kari Garrison finished with 14 points, hitting 5-of-8 shots, including 4-of-6 from 3-point range. Smith directed the attack, dishing out 11 assists, a team record in tournament play.
JCCC capped the tournament posting a 71-64 victory over Bismarck State College, securing a seventh-place finish in the tournament. Davenport and Boan again led JCCC finishing with 21 and 18 points respectively. Baxter finished with a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds, and Howard recorded 10 points, four rebounds and two blocked shots. Smith dished out six assists, and finished with a team record 25 assists in tournament play.
Johnson County opened the season ranked 10th in the NJCAA preseason poll, despite the fact head coach Debbie Carrier had to replace seven players, three of whom were starters, one All-American, one of nation’s top shot blockers and the team’s top 3-point threat. Take away that much talent and leadership it normally would spell disaster. For Carrier and her Lady Cavaliers, it simply meant it was time to reload.
“There is no doubt we lost a tremendous amount of experience with the departure of last year’s sophomore class,” said Carrier. “That type of experience is very hard to replace. We only had two starters back, which meant a lot of players were going to have to rise to the occasion.”
The team did rise the occasion, finishing with a record of 23-12, placed third in the conference, won a seventh straight region championship, captured its fifth district title, and placed seventh at the NJCAA Division II Tournament in Phoenix, Ariz.
The 2005-06 Lady Cavaliers had a strong core of veteran talent to provide leadership, but it was the play of two newcomers that generated the most excitement and notoriety for the program. Freshman guard Becca Boan of Blue Valley West and freshman center Katy Davenport of Manhattan, Kan. came to JCCC after experiencing highly decorated careers at the prep level. Coach Carrier had expectations for both when the season began and both lived up to and surpassed those expectations. Both players were named as NJCAA All-American and NJCAA National all-tournament performers.
Boan also earned honorable mention Kodak/WBCA All-America, first-team All-Region VI, first-team East Jayhawk Conference and was selected the KJCCC Eastern Division Freshman of the Year. She scored 590 points on the season, the sixth-best single-season total in team history, and finished the season ranked among the leaders NJCAA in scoring. She averaged 16.9 points, 4.4 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.9 steals per game, and led the team with 88 3-point baskets, which is a new team record. She shot .813 from the free throw line, the second-best season total in team history, and among the season leaders in the NJCAA. Boan scored in double figures in 30 of JCCC’s 35 games, and topped 20 or more points 11 times.
Davenport led JCCC in scoring with 639 points, an average of 18.3 points per game, which ranked her among the NJCAA leaders. Her 639 total points rank as the fifth-best season total in team history, and highest effort by a freshman. Davenport ranked second on the team averaging 6.1 rebounds per game, and she shot .761 from the free throw line, which ranks her eighth on the season chart. She also had enough attempts to qualify for the career chart, and her .761 percentage ranks third all-time. Davenport scored in double figures in 32 of JCCC’s 35 games, and scored 20 or more points in 17 games. She had five double-doubles on the season.
Another key newcomer was freshman guard Jacky Smith of Blue Valley North High School. Smith, a first-team All-Region VI selection, ranked among the conference and NJCAA leaders for assists, finishing the year with 184, an average of 5.7 per game. Her 184 total assists rank fourth on JCCC’s season chart, and she tied the eighth-best game in the program’s history dishing out 13 assists in JCCC’s win over Redlands in the District title game. She averaged 7.8 points and 3.5 rebounds per game, and shot an impressive 81 percent from the free throw line.
Four sophomores, Alicia Baxter, Kari Garrison, Shannon Howard and Jodi Cochrane, had solid years, and all four were selected as All-Region VI performers.
2008 NJCAA National Tournament - 5th Place (28-9)
The Johnson County Community College women’s basketball team posted a fifth-place finish at the 2008 NJCAA Division II Championship in Peoria, Ill., giving the Lady Cavaliers its sixth top-10 finish in championship play. In addition, sophomore forward Meghan Waggoner was named to the all-tournament team. Kirkwood defeated Kankakee for the national title, the fourth in the program’s history.
The Lady Cavaliers opened tournament play as the No. 3 seed and received a bye in the first round, however, JCCC fell to an unseeded Mott Community College squad, 81-75 in its first action of the tournament. The Lady Cavaliers trailed by nine points at halftime, and by as many as 17 points early in the second half. JCCC did fight back, but there was not enough time for the Lady Cavaliers to complete their comeback bid.
Waggoner led all scorers with a career-high 29 points. The sophomore from Carthage, Mo., hit 10-of-19 shots, including 3-of-9 from 3-point range, and was 6-of-10 at the line. Also in double figures were sophomore Heather Rourk with 13 points and freshman Katie Buenger with 10. Each pulled down a game-high eight rebounds.
After that disappointment and the realization that a title chance was gone, it would have been easy for JCCC to pack it in. After the first half in their next game against Genesee Community College, it appeared that might be the case, as JCCC trailed 39-33 at the break. However, the Lady Cavaliers came back the second half and eliminated Genesee from tournament play with an 81-65 victory. The Lady Cavaliers outscored the Lady Cougars by 22 points, shooting 51 percent from the field, and 67 percent (7-of-11) from 3-point range. Genesee fell off from its 53 percent first half shooting to just 26 percent in the second half.
Waggoner again led all scorers while establishing a new career high with 31 points. She hit 11-of-17 shots, including 4-of-5 from 3- point range, and was 5of-6 at the line. She also had nine rebounds and four assists. Her 31-point effort also set a single-game record in championship play in team history.
Joining Waggoner in double figures were Rourk with 16, sophomore Bethany Schwab with 12 and freshman Danielle Shows with 10. Show also pulled down 18 rebounds in, a team record in national tournament play.
JCCC capped the tournament posting a 59-50 victory over Carl Sandburg College, securing a fifth-place finish in the tournament. Rourk was the team’s second leading scorer for the third time, finishing with 10 points, four rebounds and two blocked shots. Shows also finished with 10 points, and led the team with nine rebounds and four assists.
For the tournament, Waggoner scored 82 points and averaged 27.3 points per game, both new team records in tournament play. She also set records for field goals in a game (11 vs. Genesee) and field goals for a tournament (27).
Rourk shot 81 percent from the foul line in the tournament, hitting 13-of-16 free throws. Shows set team tournament records with 32 total rebounds and a rebound average of 10.7 per game.
2010 NJCAA National Tournament - Elite 8 (30-5)
The 2010 Johnson County Community College women’s basketball team produced the greatest seasons in the program’s history, winning 30 games. The Lady Cavaliers entered the 2010 National Tournament as one of the favorites to win the title, but Johnson County left East Peoria, Ill., disappointed, dropping both games.
Ranked No. 2 in the country, JCCC saw its quest for a national title come to an end on the first night. The Lady Cavaliers lost to the Patrick Henry Lady Patriots, 71-57 in the quarterfinal round of the NJCAA Division II Tournament.
JCCC held a 26-24 lead late in the first half, then Patrick Henry closed out the half on 10-0 run and JCCC never recovered despite one of the best postseason performances in team history by freshman Liz Smith.
Smith led the Lady Cavaliers with 31 points and 16 rebounds, however, the rest of her teammates shot a dismal 8-for-44 from the field, including just 2-for-24 from 3-point range. Smith’s 31 points tie the best singe game effort by a JCCC player in national tournament play, and her 16 boards tie the second-best game all-time.
Patrick Henry also had an outstanding individual effort from sophomore guard Andra Barbour, who transferred after she was the ACC Freshman of the Year at Virginia Tech her freshman year. Barbour finished with 34 points and 12 rebounds.
JCCC’s top player on the season, sophomore guard Melissa Nelson, had a rough national tournament debut. Plagued by foul troubles, Nelson missed all nine of her field goal attempts, and finished with four points from the free throw line.
Freshman Taylor Bird was the only other JCCC player to post double figures scoring, finishing with 10 points. She also had six rebounds and a team high six assists.
The dream season for the Lady Cavaliers came to a disappointing end with a 51-44 loss to Parkland College. JCCC, the No. 2 seed and No. 2 ranked team in the country at the start of the tournament, finished 0-2 and tied for 9th place.
During the season, JCCC used the 3-point shot as a key element of its offensive arsenal. Against Parkland, JCCC was only 7-for-25 and squandered a nine-point halftime lead. Leading 29-20 at the break, JCCC was outscored 31-15 in the second half. JCCC ended the season with a 30-5 record.
Freshman center Liz Smith finished was JCCC’s leading scorer again, finishing with 11 points and seven rebounds. However, Parkland began to double team her in the second half, which limited the Lady Cavaliers ability to feed her the ball. Freshman Taylor Bird recorded a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds, and sophomores Crista Bechard and Melissa Nelson followed with nine and eight respectively.
Despite the two losses, Smith had an amazing tournament and was selected to the All-Tournament Team. Smith became the ninth player in team history to be selected to the National All-Tournament Team. Smith averaged 21.0 points, 11.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists and shot 60 percent from the floor in JCCC’s two tournament games. Smith is the ninth player in JCCC history to be selected as a National all-tournament performer. Smith opened the tournament with her 12th double-double of the season, posting career highs for points with 31 and rebounds with 16 against Patrick Henry Community College. In the second game against Parkland College, Smith finished with 11 points despite facing double team defenses all game long. She also finished with seven rebounds and matched her career high in assists with four. Smith’s effort also etched her name in the record book at JCCC. Her 31 points against Patrick Henry tied a JCCC single game record in a national tournament, her 16 rebounds tied the second best game effort and her 13 field goals set a new standard in a tournament game. Smith also etched her name in the annuals for points in a tournament (42 - T-9th), average points in a tournament (21.0 - 2nd), rebounds in a tournament (23 - 7th), rebound average in a tournament (11.5 - 1st), field goals in a tournament (18 - T-6th), field goal percentage tournament (.600 - 3rd) and free throw percentage tournament (.750 - T-14th).
2011 NJCAA National Tournament - 5th Place (32-5)
The Johnson County Community College women’s basketball team opened the 2010-11 season with a goal to improve upon its record setting season a year earlier. The Lady Cavaliers accomplished their goal, recording a program record 32 wins while finish fifth in the NJCAA Division II National Tournament. Their fifth place effort ties the second-best finish by JCCC in championship play, and marks the program’s eighth top 10 national finish.
Johnson County, the fourth seed in the tournament, opened play against 13-seed St. Louis-Meramec. Neither team could find the mark in the first half, each shooting just 26 percent from the field. Leading by just three points at halftime, 21-18, Johnson County heated up in the second half, shooting 54 percent, and went on to post a 22-point victory over the Magic, 58-36.
Freshman guard Tanchelle Hollingsworth led all scorers with 16 points. Sophomores Liz Smith and Taylor Bird both nearly had double-doubles. Smith finished with eight points and team high 11 boards. Bird scored 10 points and had eight rebounds.
After dispatching Meramec in the opener, Johnson County faced No. 5 seed Iowa Central for opportunity to reach the semifinals. The Lady Cavaliers built a first half lead over the Tritons, 29-22, but Iowa Central fought back in the second half to pull out a two-point win, 59-57.
Only freshman guard Amy Briggs, an all-tournament selection, finished in double figures. Briggs hit for 18 points, knocking down six treys. Freshman Ameshia Kearney followed with eight points and Smith added seven. Bird was the top rebounder with nine.
After that disappointment and the realization that a title chance was gone, it would have been easy to fold it up. Not this team. Johnson County came back to play one of the more exciting games of the 2011 tournament. Facing Harcum, the two teams combined for a new tournament record of 192 points. Johnson County prevailed 100-92 behind a career effort from Briggs, who finished with 27 points. She hit 8-of-9 shots, including five 3-pointers, and was 6-of-6 from the line. Bird had a monster game as well, finishing with 19 points, 16 rebounds and five assists. Hollingsworth followed with 18 points and five assists. Freshman center Kylie Cooper came in off the bench and hauled down a career high 18 rebounds to go along with her eight points.
In the fifth place game against Allegany of Maryland, Johnson County built a nine-point halftime lead and then pulled away in the second half, winning 78-52. Freshman guard Mary Pat Specht had the hot hand for JCCC, finishing with 19 points. Specht hit 7-of-11 shots, including 5-of-7 from 3-point range. Bird followed with 13 points and six rebounds, Smith posted a double-double of 10 points and 10 boards and Briggs added 10 points and five assists.
At tournament time, players look to elevate their level of play, hoping to make a difference and help their team extend its season. The player that fit that role for the 2010-11 Lady Cavaliers was Briggs. Prior to nationals, Briggs was the team’s MVP in their run for the District title. She averaged 20 points and 5.5 assists in wins over North Arkansas and LSU-Eunice. In her four games at Nationals, Briggs was the team’s leading scorer with 58 points, an average of 14.5 per game. She also knocked down 14 treys during the week, the most by any JCCC player in tournament history. Additionally, her 58 points tie for the fifth most scored and she hit all eight of her free throw attempts, tying a team tournament record. She also tied the second and fourth best game efforts with her six 3-pointers against Iowa Central and her five against Harcum.
While Briggs was the clear leader this year, head coach Ben Conrad had several players step up with outstanding efforts. Bird and Hollingsworth each averaged 12.0 points, and Bird established a new team rebound mark with 39 in the four games. Bird also set a new career rebound total with 55 in her two tournament appearances, and her 68 career points scored rank fifth.
Smith, last year’s tournament MVP for JCCC, averaged 7.8 points and 7.0 rebounds and finished her ranked fourth in points with 73 and second in rebounds with 51.
Specht and Cooper were key bench player in this tournament. Specht hit a total of seven treys, which ties her for sixth at JCCC in tournament play, and her five 3-pointers against Allegany tie the fourth-best game effort. Cooper was credited with 31 total rebounds in the tournament, the third most recorded in team history. Her 18-rebound effort against Harcum tied the team’s single game record set by Danielle Shows in 2008.
2012 NJCAA National Tournament - Elite 8 (32-3)
The Lady Cavaliers entered the 2012 NJCAA Division II Tournament as the favorite to win the title, boasting a 32-1 record. JCCC had the No. 1 ranking for the final 11 polls and had the nation’s top defense. In their first game of the tournament, the Lady Cavaliers put on an offensive and defensive clinic against Erie Community College. Sophomore center Polly Harrington led one of five Lady Cavaliers in double figures with 24 points, and the No. 1 ranked Lady Cavaliers set a NJCAA D-II tournament record for fewest points allowed in a 96-23 rout Tuesday afternoon. Johnson County limited Erie to just 23 percent shooting and nine field goals. The Kats went the first 13 minutes, 42 seconds before hitting their first field goal in the game, and by then JCCC already led by 32 points.
At tournament time, teams can live or die by the 3-point line. In the second round of the NJCAA D-II Tournament, the normally hot shooting Johnson County Community College Lady Cavaliers hit just 9 of 48 shots from 3-point range. Overall, JCCC suffered its worst shooting effort of the season, hitting just 22 percent from the field. The result was a 50-64 loss to defending national champion Monroe College, which knocked the No. 1 seeded Lady Cavaliers out of a championship run. Sophomore Amy Briggs, the nation’s leader with 101 3-point baskets, could not get on track, making just two of her 18 3-point attempts. Sophomores Brianna Kulas was 2 of 8, Mary Pat Specht and Tanchelle Hollingsworth each were 0 for 3, and Harrington was 1 of 5. Johnson County entered the game ranked as the nation’s sixth most accurate 3-point shooting team.
Sophomore Ameshia Kearney was the only Lady Cavalier who had her stroke, knocking down 7 of 16 shots, including 4 of 11 treys. She also hit three free throws to finish with a game-high 21 points. Kearney also controlled the glass for JCCC, hauling down 11 rebounds. Kulas followed with 12 points, and Briggs added 10.
Johnson County continued followed with its second worst shooting effort of the season to close out the tournament, shooting just 25 percent, which led to a 44-42 loss to Mesa. The Lady Cavaliers hit just 14-of-54 shots, including 4-of-17 from 3-point range. Kulas led JCCC with 11 points and seven rebounds, and Briggs chipped in 10 points. The Lady Cavaliers finished the season 32-3 overall.
For the tournament, Kulas, Kearney and Harrington were the Lady Cavaliers top three scorers. Kulas averaged 12.3 points and 6.0 rebounds for the three games. Kearney was close behind with a points per game average of 11.3 and 6.3 rebounds, and Harrington finished averaging 10.7 points and 6.0 rebounds.
Kylie Cooper led the team with 21 rebounds and moved into the No. 2 spot in team history with 52 career rebounds in championship play.
2017 NJCAA National Tournament - 2nd Place (33-3)
The Johnson County Community College women’s basketball team’s run to the school’s third national basketball championship ended by an impressive Kirkwood team that lived up to its pre-tournament seeding as the best team in NJCAA D-II women’s basketball this season.
Kirkwood, the top-ranked team in the country the past-three months, built a five-point first quarter lead over Johnson County and a 12-point lead in the first half of the NJCAA D-II Championship Game. In the third quarter Johnson County would not let Kirkwood ascend the ladder without a fight, outscoring the Eagles 15-10 to close within seven. Despite that run, Kirkwood took control in the fourth and pulled away for a 61-46 victory.
“Obviously we are very disappointed in how we played tonight, but credit Kirkwood for that” said JCCC head coach Ben Conrad. “This certainly does not take away from the season we had. Thirty-three and three, league champs and national runner up is big time.”
JCCC sophomore forward Austin Richardson, the MVP of the Kansas Jayhawk D-II Conference, led her team with 10 points in the championship game. She also had five rebounds.
Sophomore point guard Kyessence Collins finished with eight points, six rebounds and six assists for Johnson County. Sophomore guard Arielle Jackson added nine points on three 3-pointers. Sophomores Shaleia Jamieson chipped in six points, and Kierra Isiah had for points and tied Collins for team lead in rebounds with six.
Simone Goods had a game-highs of 19 points and 17 rebounds for Kirkwood, which out-rebounded the Lady Cavaliers 42-29.
Johnson County, the No. 2 seed, ended the season at 33-3. It marked the eighth straight season head Coach Ben Conrad finished with at 30 wins, the longest string in NJCAA women’s basketball history. JCCC won a national title with Conrad in 2015, and captured the program’s in 2000 under Debbie Carrier.
Kirkwood completed an undefeated season with a 37-0 record. This is Kirkwood sixth national title, and fifth since 2007.
Richardson and Isaiah were among the 13 players selected all-tournament. Richardson averaged 14.8 points and 9.8 rebounds over the four tournament games, and recorded two double-doubles. Her 59 total points scored rank as the sixth-most at nationals in team history, and her 39 rebounds tied the team record.
Isaiah averaged 7.3 points and 7.5 rebounds and shot 48 percent from the field. Her 30 total rebounds rank seventh all-time in team history in national tournament play.
The Lady Cavaliers punched their ticket to the NJCAA Division II title game with a 70-66 win over No. 3 seed Monroe Community College (NY). JCCC will face the winner of Kirkwood Community College on Saturday, March 25 at 7:30 p.m. CST. Johnson County won the title in 2015.
The Lady Cavaliers trailed by six after the first quarter, but took control in the second, outscoring the Tribune 19-9. The two teams were even the final two quarters.
Austin Richardson led JCCC with 17 points and nine rebounds. Kylee Williams finished with 12 points, hitting four 3-pointers, giving her 104 on the season, a new team record. Kierra Isaiah also was in double figures with 10 points.
“Monroe is one of the better teams we have seen in the last couple years,” said JCCC head coach Ben Conrad. “This was an absolute street fight. We made couple of shots late, which is what March is all about.”
Johnson County roared out to a 19-9 first quarter lead and 40-13 advantage at halftime, then cruised to a 77-41 victory over No. 7 seed Kalamazoo Valley (29-4) in the quarterfinals of the NJCAA D-II Tournament. The second half was just a formality as it was evident the Lady Cavaliers were on their way to the NJCAA D-II final four and match up with No. 3 seed Monroe Community College (28-3) in the semifinals.
The kids have been very dialed in on executing our plan,” said head coach Ben Conrad. “We have to continue to compete on the boards and execute on both ends. Small room for error when you get this deep.”
Johnson County Community College (31-2) raced to a 16-0 start and never looked back, throttling 15-seed Lackawanna College (19-11), 72-44, in the opening round of the 2017 NJCAA Division II National Tournament.
Johnson County sophomore Arielle Jackson hit 5-of-8 3-pointers and led the Lady Cavaliers with 21 points. She also pulled down six rebounds. Sophomore forward and conference MVP Austin Richardson posted her 19thdouble-double of the season with 16 points and 11 boards. Sophomore Shaleia Jamison added 10 points off the bench.
2021 NJCAA National Tournament - 2nd Place (22-2)
It was close! The Johnson County women’s basketball team’s run at a third national championship fell short after Lake Land College edged the Lady Cavaliers 53-49 on Saturday night in the NJCCA D-II National Championship game at the Catawba Valley’s Tarlton Complex in Hickory, N.C.
Johnson County trailed by four after the opening quarter, but fought back to take a one-point lead to open the final period, 38-37.
Freshman guard Kierra Prim made two quick buckets to give JCCC is largest lead of the game at five points, but the Lakers outscored Johnson County 16-7 to close out the game and win their first championship.
Prim led all scorers with 20 points. She hit 9-of-12 shots, including a 3-pointer, and a free throw. She also grabbed five rebounds. Prim was the only Johnson County player to finish in double figures. Freshman guard Lisa Thomas followed with eight points, four boards and three assists. She finished the tournament with 13 total assists.
Lake Land was able to shut down Johnson County’s top three scorers for the season. Sophomore Jaylen Townsend, the team’s top scorer, was held to seven points. Sophomore guard Presley Barton was 0-4 and did not score and sophomore forward LaJahda Boyland added six points along with game-high eight rebounds.
Prior to the championship game, Townsend was the Lady Cavaliers top player. She was the Lady Cavaliers top scorer in the tournament, tallying 62 points, for an average of 15.5 per game. Her 62 points are the fifth most scored by a JCCC player in national tournament play, and her 15.5 average ranks seventh. She opened the tournament with 24 points in an 86-49 win over Grand Rapids. She followed with 19 points in the 63-60 win over Iowa Central in the quarterfinals. She also grabbed 28 rebounds in four games, an average 7.0 per game. Her 28 boards tie for ninth all-time.
Prim was the team’s second leading scorer with 44 points, for an average of 11.0 per game. She was 21-for-35 shooting for 60 percent, which ties the fourth-best shooting percentage in tournament history by a Lady Cavaliers. She also pulled down 23 rebounds Both were selected to the All-Tournament team.
Johnson County finished the 2020-21 season with a record 22-2 and ranked No. 1 in the final NJCAA D-II Poll.
2022 NJCAA National Tournament - 5th Place
The Johnson County Community capped another amazing season in their history with a 72-56 victory over North Central Missouri to earn a fifth-place finish at the 2022 NJCAA D-II National Tournament. The Lady Cavaliers finished the season at 34-2 and the victory gave head coach Ben Conrad his 500th of his coaching career.
Johnson County raced out on a 14-2 run and never looked back. Five players scored in double figures led by sophomore guard Jaylen Townsend with 13 points. She scored eight of those points in the first period.
Freshman guard Kierra Prim posted a double-double of 12 points and 12 rebounds. She hit 6-of-10 shots. Also scoring in double digits were Shonyah Hawkins with 12, Mackenzie Hart with 11 and Gabby Fuller with 10.
Prim was selected to the all-tournament team for a second consecutive season, making her the only player in JCCC history to be selected all-tournament multiple times. Prim averaged 14.8 points and 7.5 rebounds in the four national tournament games. Her 14.8 average ties for ninth in tournament history and her 59 total points tie for seventh. She grabbed 29 total rebounds to tie for eighth, and she made 24 total field goals, third most by a JCCC player in tournament history. Prim has 52 total career rebounds, second only to Taylor Bird’s career total of 55 from the 2010 and 2011 tournaments. She also has scored 103 career points, third most ever.
Townsend finished the tournament with 50 points, an average of 12.5 per game. She closed out her career with 111 total points in national tournament play, second only to Case Ellis’ total of 115 in 2001 and 2002. Hawkins finished the tournament with 46 points, Fuller with 40 and Hart dished out 17 assists which ties for fifth all-time in team history. Fulller also grabbed 28 rebounds which ties her for 10th in team history.
The No. 2 seed in the tournament, JCCC dominated the first and fourth quarters on their way to a 98-67 victory over No. 15 seed Cape Fear (18-6) in the first round of the NJCAA Division II National Tournament in Port Huron, Mich. The 98 points are the second most scored by a Johnson County team in national tournament play.
Johnson County's chance to play for a national title came to an end in the second round. The Lady Cavaliers usually found themselves in the lead after one quarter of play this season, but on Wednesday against Morton (29-2) the Lady Cavaliers were staring at a 13-point deficit. That proved too much for JCCC to overcome as they fell 62-57 in the second round at the NJCAA D-II National Tournament in Port Huron, Mich., ending their chance for a national title.
Morton, the No. 7 seed, opened on a 10-0 run and led 22-9 at the end of the first quarter. No. 2 seed Johnson County won each of the next three quarters but not by enough, dropping the Lady Cavaliers into the consolation bracket.
Morton hit nine 3-pointers and was 11-of-17 at the free throw. JCCC hit five treys and only two of their six free throw attempts.
Freshman guard Kierra Prim led Johnson County with 13 points, along with nine rebounds. Sophomore guard Gabby Fuller posted a double-double of 12 points and 10 boards.
In order to keep their season alive, Johnson County had to rally from its largest deficit in NJCAA D-II Tournament history to down Mesa Community College 77-74 in an elimination game. The Lady Cavaliers trailed Mesa by 15 points, 53-38, with just over four minutes remaining in the third quarter and it appeared JCCC’s season would come to a disappointing end. Then Johnson County rallied, outscoring the Thunderbirds 13-to-4 to pull within six at the end of the third quarter, 57-51.
Then it became the Jaylen Townsend show in the fourth. Last year’s National Player of the Year had been held scoreless through the first three quarters, but in the final 10 minutes she exploded for 14 points, hitting all four of her 3-point attempts and both free throws to power JCCC to the victory.
Freshman Kierra Prim tallied five of her game-high 17 points in the fourth to make sure the Lady Cavaliers season would continue.
2023 NJCAA National Tournament
The Johnson County women's basketball team's trip to the NJCAA Division II National Tournament in 2023 came to an end in their 69-55 loss to Morton College in the consolation bracket, eliminating them from the tournament.
Johnson County finished 1-2 record in the tournament and closed out the season with an overall record of 33-3.
For the second straight game the Lady Cavaliers struggled behind the arc. In their quarterfinal loss to Harcum a day earlier, JCCC was 0-12 from 3-point range. In Friday's loss, they weren't much better, making only 1-of-10 attempts, while Morton drained 11 long-range bombs.
Sophomore forward LaJahda Boyland recorded her best scoring performance of her career, finishing with 24 points on 11-of-18 shooting, with two free throws. Her 24-point effort ties the seventh-best game by a Lady Cavalier in national tournament play, and her 11 field goals tie the second most made in a tournament game. Boyland was the only JCCC player to post double figures. She also grabbed seven rebounds.
Sophomore guard Mackenzie Hart followed with nine points, six rebounds and five assists, and sophomore guard Lisa Thomas hauled down a game-high nine boards to go along with six points.
Other key efforts were posted by freshman forward Grace Lynch (7 points, 4 rebounds), sophomore guard Nariyah Simmons (5 points, 8 rebounds) and freshman guard Jazzy Klinge (2 points, 7 rebounds).
On a day that Johnson County's top two scorers were held to single digits, the No. 4-seeded Lady Cavaliers still had little trouble with 13-seed Delta College, winning by 50 points, 92-42 in the first round of the tournament. Hart and Nariyah Simmons hit just 4-of-17 shots, but Thomas led the way with 21.
The Lady Cavaliers fell to the consolation bracket after suffering a loss to No. 5 seed Harcum, 60-55. Entering the game, Johnson County ranked among the top-20 in the country in three-point shooting efficiency, but Lady Cavaliers had its season worst performance from 3-point range going 0-for-12. Truly, the Lady Cavaliers would have won this one if their 3-point shooting hadn't been abysmal. They weren't much better at the free throw line either, making just 15-of-25 attempts for 62.5 percent.
Johnson County also could not stop Amaris Baker, the nation's leading scorer. Averaging 27 a game, the sharpshooter from Philadelphia poured in 35 points, 22 in the second half, to power the Bears to the five-point victory. Her 35 points are the most scored on JCCC in a national tournament game.
Freshman forward Grace Lynch came in off the bench the lead JCCC with 12 points, hitting 6-of-10 shots.
For the tournament, Boyland was the top scorer and tied with Thomas as the top rebounder. She tallied 44 points and 25 rebounds over the three games for averages of 14.7 and 8.5. Thomas matched those rebound totals and was the team's second leading scorer averaging 10.3 per game.
Hart averaged 8.3 points, 6.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists in the tournament. Her 18 total assists tied the fourth most recorded in team history, and her nine-assist effort in the tournament opening win over Delta rank as the third most ever recorded.
Lynch scored in double figures in two of the three games and posted a scoring average of 9.7 points. She also shot 67 percent from the field with ties the second-best shooting percentage in JCCC tournament history.
Sophomore guard Aryannah Harrison also posted double digits twice and closed out the tournament averaging 8.0 points per game. She also connected on an impressive 53 percent of her shot attempts.
Freshman guard Saige Grampsas was 6-for-7 from 3-point range, all in the opening win. Her six treys in a game tie for second all-time, and her .857 shooting percentage is third best in tournament play.