BISMARK, ND - After leading by as many as ten in the first quarter, the Bay College Women's Basketball Team (21-8) would see their season come to an end as they would fall in the NJCAA Region XIII Championship game. The United Tribes Technical College Thunderbirds (17-15) would advance to the District Championship by a final score of 80-70.
The Norse would start out hot in the first half, and jump out to a 21-13 lead after the first quarter, but the momentum started to shift. The Thunderbirds came storming back to reclaim the lead. Turning the ball over just three times in the first half, United Tribes would take advantage of a sharp drop in shooting from Bay College. The Norse connected on just one field goal in the second quarter, a layup by Jordan Kraemer (SO, Norway, MI). The home team would hit several three-pointers from well beyond the arc, and claim a 37-33 lead at half time.
The Norse continued to fight in the second half, but could not overcome their offensive woes. They looked to be closing the gap in the third, but Tariq Brownotter (SO, McLaughlin, SD) would be fouled shooting a three-pointer. Her shot was on the mark, as was her pursuing free throw, and a five-point lead for the hone team turned into a nine-point advantage. Bay College missed the mark on several attempts and looks that could have gotten them back into the game, which allowed United Tribes to keep control. K'Lona Lofton (SO, Eagle Butte, SD) scored 19 points in the second half, to help her team hold on to the ten-point victory and claim the Regional Championship.
The Norse shot just 29.9% from the field, and only connected on three of 21 attempts from beyond the arc. Bay would grab 50 rebounds in the contest, while the Thunderbirds pulled down 47. United Tribes shot 44.6% from the field and converted eight of 21 from three-point. Both teams turned the ball over 15 times in the contest.
Kraemer ended her Norse basketball career with a double-double and the highest single game scoring output in the school's brief history. She would end up with 34 points, ten rebounds, four steals, and three assists. Taylor Hunter (FR, Gladstone, MI) scored ten points, while Keisha Davis (FR, St. Ignace, MI) grabbed 11 rebounds.
Lofton's big second half would see her finish with 27 points and seven rebounds for the Thunderbirds. Brownotter hit five of 11 from three-point and scored 21 points, to go with five steals and four assists. Jasmyne Two Moons (FR, Lame Deer, MT) tallied 17 points, nine rebounds, and six assists, while Mia Wilkinson (SO, Bismark, ND) finished with a double-double. She ended with 11 points and 12 rebounds.
Kraemer and Pagie Welch (SO, Bark River, MI) earned All-Region honors after the game.
The Norse end their season with 21 wins and eight losses. That includes the first ever postseason win in school history, and in improvement from 14-11 a season ago.