The Minnesota West Lady Jays earned an automatic berth in the National Junior College Athletic Association Division III Women’s Basketball Tournament by edging Anoka-Ramsey, 73-69, on Sunday night in the North Plains District B title game in Coon Rapids.
Tia Murray had team highs of 16 points and 14 rebounds for Minnesota West, which improved to 17-12 overall on the season. The Lady Jays trailed by five at halftime, but outscored Anoka-Ramsey 20-13 in the third quarter and then built a five-point edge in the fourth before the Rams went on an 8-0 run to grab a three-point edge. Minnesota West, though, bounced back and now advances to the national tournament, which is scheduled for March 9-12 just down the road in Rochester.
MacKenzie Post and Macie Werdel added 11 points each for the Jays; Dannyn Peterson had nine points and Madisyn Huisman contributed eight points and 10 rebounds.
