Winona, MN-
Women's basketball teams from around the Minnesota College Athletic Conference head into their final contests this week in both the Northern and Southern Divisions.
At stake in both Divisions is one of four berths into the 2019-20 NJCAA Region XIIIA (Southern Division) or Region XIIIB (Northern Division) post-season tournaments. Both competitions will run on February 29 and March 1, in a semi-final, championship game four-team bracket. Read on for more as the MCAC women's squads set their sights on extending their seasons.
MCAC Southern Division:
Anoka-Ramsey has earned the right to host the 2019-20 NJCAA Region XIIIA tournament. The Golden Rams have lived up to their billing when picked by league coaches to capture the Division crown in pre-season polling. Dave DeWitt and his team can focus on a final showdown with Western Tech on Saturday, with the goal of running the MCAC Southern Division table unbeaten. At 19-5 overall, the Golden Rams have not lost to an NJCAA Division III team this year and will enjoy home court advantage in the NJCAA Region XIIIA post-season tournament.
Western Tech will need one win in their two games this week to cement the second seed in the NJCAA playoffs; the Cavaliers will face Riverland in a mid-week contest before taking on ARCC to conclude the 2019-20 regular season. WTC will hope to catch fire in Region XIIIA action to earn the right to make a second-consecutive trip to the NJCAA Division III Women's Basketball National Championship. The Cavaliers had a record-setting 2018-19 campaign, earning both a school-first NJCAA tournament appearance and claiming the top team GPA in NJCAA women's hoops last year. Western Tech and first-year head coach Brent Thill have a good chance at hitting the 20-win mark this season as they transition into the playoff picture this week.
Minnesota West CTC and Ridgewater College will wrap up their 2019-20 MCAC Southern Division slate this Wednesday, February 19 in Willmar, Minnesota.
The 5:30pm tip-off will get an important game for both teams underway, as the Lady Jays could cllich a post-season spot with a victory over the Warriors. A Ridgewater win would even the two teams at 4-6 in MCAC action and create the potential for a three-way tie for two spots, depending on other contests in the mix this week. Two veteran coaches will square off in Willmar, with Ridgewater's Jodi Holliman and MnWest's Rosalie Hayenga both seeking to guide their teams to a Region XIIIA tournament berth.
St. Cloud Technical & Community College picked up a vital win on Wednesday, February 12, handing nationally-ranked Western Tech a 1-point loss, 68-67. In addition to the boost in the standings, the Cyclones now hold a tie-breaker over both Ridgewater College and Minnesota West. SCTCC will need to take care of business on Saturday, February 22 in Austin against Riverland, but have posititioned their team well as post-season approaches.
Riverland Community College will look to play the spoiler with two games remaining in the Blue Devil MCAC Southern Division schedule; RCC will see Western Technical and SCTCC this week to wrap up 2019-20.
MCAC Northern Division:
Rainy River Community College and Northland Community & Technical College are on pace to finish atop the Northern Division and games this week will determine if they share the Divisional hardware or if one team claims it outright.
Rainy River will see two teams in their remaining week, hosting Itasca Community College on Wednesday and traveling to Central Lakes on Saturday. Both games carry importance for RRCC, as they will likely need two wins to keep pace with Northland. In contrast, the Pioneers have only one contest remaining and will enjoy home court advantage on Saturday when they host Lake Superior College.
While the top two Northern Division playoff teams have been produced, the middle of the Division standings offers a wide range of possibilities. Four squads - Hibbing, Central Lakes, Mesabi Range and Lake Superior - are all vying for a Region XIIIB spot and three of them will face off against each other or teams already in the playoffs at some point this week.
Hibbing Community College will wrap up their regular season on the inside track, with games against Vermilion Community College and Itasca Community College, both of which are eliminated from post-season possibilities. One Cardinal win this week will push them to the post-season, and two victories will cement Hibbing as the #3 seed in Region XIIIB.
For more on MCAC Women's Basketball, please go to: https://www.mcacsports.org/sports/wbkb/index
NJCAA Basketball, including National Top 15 Poll and Player-of-the-Week releases can be found at: https://www.njcaa.org/sports/wbkb/index
The Minnesota College Athletic Conference is the organizational body for NJCAA-affiliated two-year technical and community college athletic programs in the Minnesota State Colleges & Universities system, as well as select member colleges in North Dakota and Wisconsin. The mission of the Minnesota College Athletic Conference is to advance intercollegiate athletics by providing an engaging and supportive environment for success of our student athletes and competition among member institutions. The MCAC is committed to the guiding principles of encouraging the development and success of student athletes, promoting the integrity, honesty and loyalty to member schools as well as upholding the sustainability of conference athletic programs.
Be sure to follow our MCAC Facebook and Twitter feeds @MCACSports
OUR PURPOSE
The Marine Corps defends the people of the United States at home and abroad. To do that, we make Marines who win our Nation's battles and return as quality citizens.
Our Mission
To be the best Sports Company in the World.
YOUR SPORTING GOODS PARTNER
When you want your team to look as good as they play, trust the experts at Nicklasson Athletic Company. With more than 80 years of combines sales expertise, NAC is on your team with the latest, most innovative apparel and products to help your team, school, corporation or organization look and play their best. When you look great, you play great.