Highland avenges earlier loss with lopsided win in Region 4 championship

RIVER GROVE, ILL. - Roughly six weeks after losing a home game to Triton College in their only meeting of the regular season, Highland Community College returned the favor with a resounding 86-58 defeat of the Trojans to claim the 2022 NJCAA Region 4 Division I Women's Basketball Tournament Championship on February 28. The second-seeded Cougars claimed their seventh Region 4 crown and their first since the 2018-19 season. Highland Community College was led by Region 4 Tournament Most Valuable Player Abby Barr and Region 4 Coach of the Year Blake Becke.

After opening the postseason with a 20-point win over #3 Malcolm X College, Highland Community College set their sights on top-seeded Triton College (23-5), who held off #4 Sauk Valley Community College by a 75-63 total in their semifinal. The championship effort started with the Barr scoring ten first quarter points and the Cougars grabbing a 14-12 against the defending champs. They followed with an 11-3 push to start the second quarter en route to a 37-29 edge at the break. The advantage grew to 19 points in the third quarter before Barr repeated her start with a ten-point fourth quarter to shut the door. The sophomore All-American finished with a career-high 33 points and ten rebounds for a double-double. Karlie Krogman's near triple-double of 13 points, 15 rebounds, and nine assists earned her a spot on the all-tournament team, alongside Barr and teammate Tyra Clark.

Highland Community College advanced to and hosted the NJCAA North Central District Championship against Region 13 winner North Dakota State College of Science on March 5. The Cougars found themselves in an early hole and never recovered, losing 72-44 to end their season with a 21-7 record.

2022 Region 4 All-Tournament Team
Abby Barr - Highland Community College
Tyra Clark - Highland Community College
Karlie Krogman - Highland Community College
Temya Russell - Triton College
Kendra Hatley - Triton College
Keisy Alvarez - Triton College

Region 4 Tournament MVP
Abby Barr - Highland Community College

Region 4 Coach of the Year
Blake Becke - Highland Community College