Women's Basketball Advances To District Championship With Win Over Anne Arundel In Region XX Title Game
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Anne Arundel Community College (11-15, 1-11) | 15 | 12 | 18 | 15 | 60 |
|
Prince George's Community College (14-12, 4-8) | 23 | 18 | 18 | 15 | 74 |
Prince George's women's basketball entered the weekend of February 21st as the number one seed for the NJCAA Region XX Division III basketball tournament hosted by Westmoreland County Community College in Youngwood, Pennsylvania. On Sunday afternoon, the Owls women's basketball program hoisted the Region XX Division III trophy for the first time since the 2014-15 season after defeating Anne Arundel 74-60 in the championship game, marking the 5th Region XX championship in program history.
Riding a two-game winning streak into postseason play, the Owls first faced tournament host Westmoreland County on Saturday, February 22nd in the semifinal round. Prince George's was able to jump out to an early 37-17 lead by halftime and carried their large lead into the second half as they defeated the fourth seeded Wolfpack 61-40 to advance to the championship game the next day. The number two seed Anne Arundel Riverhawks defeated the third seeded Butler County Community College in their semifinal matchup, setting up a battle between the top two seeded teams for Sunday, February 23rd.
Sunday's title game opened up with both squads trading baskets over the first few minutes of play before the Owls went on a 14-0 tear as they built a 23-15 lead after one period. The Owls continued to play aggressive in the second period as they again outscored the Riverhawks 18-12 to enter halftime with a 41-27 lead. Despite Anne Arundel playing tight defense, the Owls were shooting a highly efficient 49% (17-35) from the floor at the break. Kori People (Capitol Heights, MD / Central) was dominant in the first twenty minutes of action as she led all scorers with 18 points while grabbing 5 rebounds. The Owls also did their job from the free throw line as they were a perfect 5-for-5 at the break.
The Riverhawks came out determined to close in on the Owls during the third period and were able to create scoring opportunities but the Owls continued to respond to each Anne Arundel basket. Prince George's would go on a 6-0 run to claim their largest lead of the game (19) as they went up 57-38 over the Riverhawks with 2:40 remaining in the third quarter. Entering the final ten minutes with a double-digit lead, the Owls worked some time off the clock which required Anne Arundel to make physical plays on defense, resulting in 10 fouls for the Riverhawks. Anne Arundel would end up finishing the contest with only four players on the floor as they entered foul trouble. The Owls again did their part from the free throw line as they hit 9 of their 12 attempts from the charity stripe down the stretch to hold off any chance of an Anne Arundel comeback, defeating the Riverhawks 74-60.
People, who was named to the All-Tournament team along with teammates Trinity Workman and Tatiana Garvin, finished as the Owls leading scorer with 21 points while just missing out on a double-double with 9 rebounds. Workman (Beltsville, MD / Eleanor Roosevelt) was extremely active on both sides of the ball despite playing in a limited fashion after suffering a knee injury in the semifinal game the day prior. She finished with 17 points, 7 steals, 7 assists, and 6 rebounds in the Owls win against Anne Arundel. Garvin (Bowie, MD / Bowie) was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player as she recorded a double-double in the title game, finishing with 19 points and 14 rebounds including a perfect 9-of-9 from the free throw line. Garvin has provided a crucial leadership role in the second half of the season as the Owls lone sophomore player.
The victory over the Riverhawks marks the second Region XX championship under women's basketball head coach Tiona Harris and fifth overall for the Prince George's women's basketball program. The Owls previous four Region XX titles came during the following years; 1975, 1989, 2006 (Division II), and 2015 (Division III).
The Owls will now host Region V champion Cedar Valley College on Saturday, February 29th in the NJCAA Division III Women's Basketball Southeast District Championship. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 pm. The winner will advance to the National Championship Tournament hosted by Rock Valley College in Rockford, Illinois on March 12th-14th.
