The Minnesota West Lady Jays will play for a NJCAA Division III Women’s Basketball national championship for the second year in a row after knocking off Northland 68-55 Friday in a semifinal matchup in Rochester.
The top-seeded Lady Jays picked up their 11th win a row, though it didn’t come without a strong challenge from the Pioneers. Down 18 in the second quarter, Northland eventually whittled the deficit down to six late in the fourth quarter, but a tough layup in traffic by Hattie DeVries and Wiconi UsesArrow’s putback of her own miss put Minnesota West back up by double digits and sealed the deal.
Saturday’s championship game will be a rematch of last year’s title tilt, as the Lady Jays (25-7) will face off against No. 2 seed and archrival Rochester at 5 p.m. The Yellow Jackets topped Minnesota West in the 2022 third-place game as well as in last year’s championship clash, but the Lady Jays won the most recent meeting between the teams last month.
On Friday, Minnesota West burst out to a 19-10 advantage through the first quarter and then built their lead in the first half of the second. Northland, though, recovered and got to within 11 at halftime, 38-27.
The Lady Jays pushed their edge to 17 points in the first portion of the third stanza, but the fifth-seeded Pioneers didn’t quit. Minnesota West entered the final quarter ahead 52-39, but Northland – which won 54-53 in their Thursday night game against Anoka-Ramsey -- showed resolve and was in the game until late.
Four Lady Jays players scored in double figures Friday as Minnesota West won against Northland for the second time in three meetings this year. Olivia Hayenga had 21 points and 11 rebounds, while DeVries was right behind with 20 points along with five assists. Audrey Drapeau contributed 15 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, and UsesArrow chipped in with 10 points.
Be sure to catch the championship showdown Saturday on 104.3 The Bridge. It will be streaming live at myradioworks.net and our free Radio Works mobile app.
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