JOPLIN, Mo. – No. 1 Johnson County withstood a stiff test from No. 17 North Central Missouri (24-7), beating the Pirates 55-43 to advance to the NJCAA Division II Women's Basketball Tournament quarterfinals.  JCCC will play the winner of No. 8 Union (24-4) and No. 9 Lincoln Land (27-6) on Thursday, March 21 at 5 p.m. 

A strong fourth quarter allowed Johnson County to turn a slim two-point advantage after three periods into a comfortable 12-point victory to improve to 32-0 on the season. 

Freshman guard Taliyah Scott led the way for the Lady Cavaliers with 21 points to go along with eight rebounds. Six of her 21 came during JCCC's fourth quarter run. Her 21-point effort is her second-best of the season.

Sophomore guard Jazzy Klinge was the only other JCCC player to finish in double figures with 10 points. Her line also included seven boards, three assists, wo steals and a block. 

Freshman forward Amani Henry added six points and tied Scott for the team lead in rebounds with eight, and team's leading scorer this season, sophomore guard Saige Grampsas provided seven points, four rebounds and three assists. 

Naeonia Russell led the Pirates with 10 points, followed by Tori Meinecke with nine. 

The 2024 NJCAA Division 2 National Tournament will be streamed live by the NJCAA Network.

News & Notes
• The game was the third meeting between the two programs this season. JCCC won both games in the regular season 79-57 at home on November 26 and 56-41 in Trenton, Mo., on January 4.

• This was also the second time these two programs have faced off in a national tournament. In 2022, JCCC defeated the Pirates 72-46 in the fifth/sixth place game.

• Johnson County now leads the all-time series 17-4 and head coach Ben Conrad is a perfect 11-0.

• With the victory, Johnson County now has won 32 straight games, the second longest win streak in program history.