Thunderbirds Magical Season Ended Thursday By Johnson County
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Mesa Community College (23-9) | 22 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 74 |
|
Johnson County Community College (33-2) | 14 | 18 | 19 | 26 | 77 |
Johnson County Community College
| Game Statistics | Mesa Community College | Johnson County Community College |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (25-59) | (26-53) |
| Field Goal % | 42.4% | 49.1% |
| Rebounds | 34 | 28 |
| Assists | 8 | 15 |
| Turnovers | 15 | 15 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 9 | 19 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 14 | 9 |
| Pts in the Paint | 30 | 32 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 0 | 0 |
| Bench Pts | 11 | 23 |
Thursday, March 17, 2022 - 7:40 pm | Derek Diesner
Port Huron, Mich. - The 6-seed Mesa Thunderbirds (23-9) saw their 2021-22 season come to an end Thursday afternoon, at the hands of No. 2 Johnson County (33-2). The T-Birds were on the wrong end of a fourth-quarter rally and fell 77-74 to the Cavaliers in an elimination game at the NJCAA DII Women's Basketball National Tournament inside of the SC4 Fieldhouse in Port Huron, Michigan.
Both offenses came to play early on Thursday afternoon. A little less than four minutes into the game, Johnson County and Mesa were all even at 9-9. The T-Birds then rattled off a 9-0 scoring run in the next two minutes to take an 18-9 lead. Mesa would end the first quarter of play holding a 22-14 lead.
In the second quarter, both teams continued to keep it close to one another. Both squads shot over 40% from the floor and each scored 18 points. At halftime, Mesa held a 40-32 lead.
Johnson County would begin to make their move in the second half. The Cavaliers outscored the Thunderbirds 19-17 in the third quarter; while shooting 53% from the floor. Similar to Wednesday's game for Mesa, free-throws were the key. In the third quarter, Mesa was whistled for seven fouls; while Johnson County committed just two. The Cavs shot 3-for-5 from the free-throw line in the third, while Mesa shot just 1-for-1.
The fourth quarter belonged to Jaylen Townsend for the Cavaliers. The guard played all ten minutes for the Cavaliers and was their only player to make more than one field goal in the final quarter. Townsend finished a perfect 4-for-4 from beyond the three-point arc, and a perfect 2-for-2 at the free-throw line. She also added two rebounds and two steals to help lead her Johnson County squad to the 77-74 comeback win; which earned them a spot in Saturday's 5th Place Game.
In the loss Thursday, four Thunderbirds finished in double-figure scoring. Rylee Young led the way for the T-Birds with 20 points on 6-of-13 shooting and she finished a perfect 8-for-8 from the free-throw line. Young also chimed in with five rebounds, a team-high three blocks, one assist, and one steal. A night after being shutout on the stat sheet, T-Bird leading scorer Jayla Johnson got back to her scoring ways, finishing with 15 points; that included three-of-six from beyond the three-point arc and a perfect 4-for-4 at the free-throw line.
Don't forget to check out the MCC Team Shop, as well as our Booster Club.
