OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – The No. 7-ranked Johnson County women's basketball team battled back from a 11-point halftime deficit to pull with four after the third quarter, but the No. 2-ranked Labette Cardinals managed to pull away in the final quarter for a 54-43 win in the Region VI Championship Game Friday night at the Hutchison Sports Arena.
The Lady Cavaliers finish the 2019-20 season 28-5, while Labette improved to 25-4 and advance to the NJCAA D-II Tournament on the campus of St. Clair County Community College in Port Huron, Mich. This is Labette second trip to the national tournament.
With the exception of the third quarter, Johnson County struggled to know down shots. They shot 24.6 percent for the game, and hit just 14.6 six in the first quarter while falling behind by eight, 15-7.
"Tip your cap to Labette," said JCCC head coach Ben Conrad. "They made shots and made plays when they needed to. Our kids fought really hard and I'm proud of that. I thought when we got it down to four at the start of the fourth that we were maybe a stop and a basket away, but they an answer every time."
Leading by just four points in 8:40 to play, Labette freshman guard Jaya Smith scored six straight points to boost the Cardinals lead to 10 and end a possible Johnson County comeback victory. She scored Labette final two points in the game, giving her eight in the quarter and 12 for game, tying for the game high with teammates Diamond Jones and Jessica Martino. Smith also grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds.
Johnson County sophomore forward KK Jackson-Morris also tallied 12 points for the game, hitting 5-of-12 shots with two 3-pointers. She would be the only Lady Cavalier to post double digits.
Freshman guard Jaylen Townsend finished with eight points and four rebounds, and sophomore Dallie Hoskinson followed with seven points and five boards.
Labette managed to keep JCCC sophomore guard Krystal Rice, the team's leading scorer, in check, holding her to just five points on 1-of-9 shooting. She also had four rebounds and three assists.
Freshman forward LaJahda Boyland led the team in rebounds with nine.
"I will never let our teams be defined by 40 minutes in March," Conrad said. "It's called March Madness for a reason, and it can be very random. Our group had a heck of a year and they did it right. I couldn't be more proud of them."