- Sophomores Whitney Jensen and Breeley Clayburg lead DMACC with 12 points apiece
- Sophomore Missy Evezic and freshman Brooklyn Valley each score 10 points
- Bears will face United Tribes Technical College in North Central District championship game
Sophomores Whitney Jensen of Remsen and Breeley Clayburg of Coon Rapids scored 12 points apiece and sophomore Missy Evezic of Council Bluffs and freshman Brooklyn Valley of Waverly added 10 points apiece as the DMACC women's basketball team upset fifth-ranked Kirkwood Community College (KCC), 55-51, in the Region 11-A championship game March 2 at Cedar Rapids.
The win, which gave the Bears their first-ever reginal championship avenge two regular-season losses to the Eagles, 59-53 Jan. 3 inside the DMACC gymnasium and 76-52 Feb. 21 at Cedar Rapids.
DMACC women's basketball coach Jocelyn Kovarik said she had a good feeling about the game, especially after the Bears dismantled a good Iowa Central Community College (ICCC) team 95-63 in the Region 11-A tournament semifinals.
"The girls were just pumped up for (the game)," Kovarik said. "They were watching film on their own and they were very excited. It was just fun."
Kovarik said having played at KCC as recently as Feb. 21 also helped DMACC's cause.
"It's a very intimidating atmosphere and they always have a great crowd," Kovarik said. "I think it really helped that we had played there recently and were ready to go back."
Kovarik said Evezic missed the Feb. 21 game and while she isn't a prolific scorer, her defense was a factor this time around.
"It was really a nice matchup game for her and it was nice to have her back," Kovarik said, adding that DMACC's defense was also a key factor.
"We're not all that great at putting it through the hoop sometimes so we have to defend as much as possible and the girls have really bought into that," Kovarik said. "They're very competitive, just a ferocious group that loves this time of year. Defense is what we had to do."
KCC came into the game at 27-3 and ranked fifth in the most recent Division II poll from the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA). The Eagles won the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) regular season title with a 20-2 record and were riding a 10-game winning streak.
DMACC, ranked 24th, came in at 23-8. The Bears finished fifth in the ICCAC with a 14-8 record.
The first period ended in a 10-10 tie and KCC pulled away in the second quarter, holding a 31-23 lead at halftime. DMACC trailed by as many as 11 points midway through the third period, 40-29, before a 15-2 run got the Bears a 44-42 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
The Valley sisters, Jordan and Brooklyn, both from Waverly, keyed the run with three three-point baskets, one from Jordan and two from Brooklyn. Her second one got the Bears within two at 42-40 and Evezic drained a pair of free throws for a 42-42 tie with 1 minute, 10 seconds left in the period. Freshman Mariam Omran of Giza, Egypt, and Brooklyn Valley made one free throw apiece in the final 40 seconds to give the Bears the lead heading into the fourth quarter.
KCC took a 45-44 lead on a traditional three-point play from Olivia Wren just more than two minutes into the final quarter and went up 47-44 on Kaci Crum's layup with 7:21 to play.
A pair of layups from Jensen got DMACC a 48-47 lead but KCC responded with two free throws from Wren to take a 49-48 lead with 5:47 remaining. Wren made another free throw with 4:56 to play, giving the Eagles a 50-48 lead.
Another layup from Jensen got DMACC a tie at the 4:45 mark of the period and Evezic's offensive rebound and putback gave the Bears the lead for good at 52-50 with 2:33 left.
KCC closed to 52-51 on a free throw from Kennedy Blakely with 1:29 to play and Clayburg made it a 54-51 game with two free throws with 16 seconds left. A KCC turnover led to Omran being fouled and she made one of her two free throws as the Bears all but iced the game at 55-51 with nine seconds remaining. Two desperation three-pointers from KCC were off the mark in the final four seconds.
DMACC shot 37 percent, making 18 of 49 field goal attempts. The Bears were 5-of-18 from three-point range and 14-of-18 from the free throw line.
KCC, which closed the season at 27-4, was led by Wren and Erianna Moeschter with 10 points apiece. The Eagles were 21 of 56 from the field for 38 percent. They connected on just two of 15 shots from beyond the arc and made seven of 13 free throw attempts.
KCC had a 30-24 advantage on the boards with Jensen and Clayburg leading the Bears with five rebounds apiece. Jordan Valley dished out a team-leading five assists and Jensen added four. Omran led DMACC in steals with three.
Jensen, Clayburg and Omran were named to the all-tournament team announced at the conclusion of the game and Jensen was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player.
The DMACC women's basketball team will face United Tribes Technical College (UTTC) in the North Central District championship game March 7 at Bismarck, N.D. UTCC won its fourth consecutive Region 13 championship behind a 95-59 win over Dakota College of Bottineau on March 1. The DMACC-UTTC winner will advance to the 2026 NJCAA Division II Women's Basketball Championship March 16 to 21 at Hickory, N.C.
North Iowa Area Community College (NIACC) was the No. 2 seed in the Region 11-A & B tournaments and defeated sixth-seeded Northeast (Neb.) Community College (NECC), 69-55, in the Region 11-B championship game. The Trojans received an automatic bid to the Division II national championship.