Joliet claims NJCAA Central District title, earns #9 seed at national tournament
DALLAS, TEXAS - The only Division III women's basketball team in Region 4 is headed to the national tournament after Joliet Junior College won a pair of games in Texas to claim the NJCAA Central District Championship. The Wolves defeated Dallas College-Mountain View on Saturday by a 73-54 final to earn an automatic bid into the NJCAA Division III Women's Basketball Championships. (Recap: Joliet)
Joliet Junior College, ranked #15 in the latest NJCAA Division III Poll, opened postseason play with a Central District semifinal against #15-ranked Dallas College-Cedar Valley, and after falling behind by double-digits in the first half, used a 21-5 third quarter to take the lead. They held off the Suns for a 69-60 victory behind 23 points and ten rebounds off the bench from Jazlynn Foster. Na'Kiyah Robertson added 19 points and 11 boards to push JJC into the championship.
Against the Lions, Joliet engineered a monster first quarter to lead 27-16, and then outscored DCMV by eight in the fourth to secure the title and the trip to nationals. Demi Page paced the Wolves with 20 points, followed by 17 points from Foster, and 15 by Robertson.
Joliet punches their ��️
— NJCAA Basketball (@NJCAABasketball) March 1, 2025
The Wolves take the Central District and are headed to Rochester for the #NJCAABasketball DIII Women's National Championship!https://t.co/2nww8tgW2X pic.twitter.com/tcGndYim6E
Joliet Junior College (15-13) was awarded #9-seed for the 2025 NJCAA Division III Women's Basketball Championships in Rochester, Minnesota, from March 12-15. The Wolves draw #8-seed Kingsborough Community College (25-3), who got in with an at-large bid. The first round game will be played Wednesday, March 12 at noon, with the winner advancing to play top-seed and top-ranked Rochester Community & Technical College (20-4) on Thursday at noon. The loser will play a consolation game on Thursday at 10am.
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The Joliet Junior College men's basketball team, also the only Division III program in Region 4, traveled to Ohio to play a NJCAA Sub-District playoff game against Owens Community College. The Wolves, ranked #10 in last NJCAA Division III Poll, played a tightly-contested game that ended with an 82-72 loss. Devon Richardson poured in 20 points and grabbed 17 rebounds, while Denyell Rush added 18, Miles Gillespie had 16 points and ten boards, and Jeffrey Fleming contributed 11 points and 14 rebounds. The JJC season ends with a 19-9 ranking, while Owens advanced to the NJCAA Mid-Atlantic District Tournament.