PORT HURON, Mich. On a day that Johnson County's top two scorers were held to single digits, the No. 4-seeded Lady Cavaliers still had little troubled with 13-seed Delta College, winning by 50 points, 92-42 in the first round of the NJCAA Division II Women's National Basketball Tournament in Port Huron, Mich.
Mackenzie Hart and Nariyah Simmons were a combined 4-for-17 from and 2-for-10 from 3-point range for a total of seven and six points respectively, but the rest of the team responded to shoot 61 percent overall and 62 percent from 3-point range. JCCC also was 20-for-27 at the charity while Delt was just 5-for-10. JCCC also outrebounded the Pioneers 52-to-17.
Leading the charge for Johnson County was sophomore guard Lisa Thomas with 21 points. She was 6-for-10 with a 3-pointer and 8-for-9 at the line. She also had eight rebounds, three assists and two steals.
Freshman guard Saige Grampsas recorded her best scoring effort of the season by pouring in 19 points off the bench, draining a season high six baskets beyond the arc. She also grabbed five rebounds.
Also finishing in double figures were sophomore guard Aryannah Harrison with 12 points and freshman forward Grace Lynch with 10. Both also grabbed three rebounds apiece.
Other key efforts were posted by sophomore forward LaJahda Boyland (9 points, 11 rebounds), Hart (7 points, nine assists, 5 rebounds, 2 steals), Simmons (6 points, 6 rebounds and freshman guard Jazzy Klinge (4 points, 8 rebounds).
Head coach Ben Conrad, now in his 15th year leading the Lady Cavaliers, is now 7-1 in in first round games in national tournament play and 18-8 overall. He led JCCC to a national title in 2015, and runner-up finishes in 2017 and 2021.
Johnson County will take on No. 5 seed Harcum on Thursday, March 23 at 8 p.m. EST. Harcum advanced with a narrow 79-75 win over 12 seed Danville Area.