Basketball

Kirkwood Women’s Basketball team stunned by Illinois Central in the second round of the NCJAA Tournament

The Kirkwood women’s basketball team was stunned by Illinois Central in the quarter finals of the NCJAA tournament on April 22. The Eagles dominated all year but struggled versus the 8 seeded Cougars. Illinois Central took an early 24-14 lead at the end of the first half and never looked back. Kirkwood is now 22-2. 

Illinois Central held Kirkwood to 2 points in the entire second quarter. With the win, Illinois Central faced 4 seeded Johnson County on Friday in the semi-finals at Hickory, North Carolina. Illinois Central was led by Kayla Gordon who dropped 19 points and was a huge help in the Cougars upset victory over the top seeded Eagles. She also finished 6 boards, 5 steals, and 2 dimes. Number 42 Kristyn Mitchell had 12 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 steal. Cierra McNamee and Derria Edwards finished with 5 points in the win. Forward Cierra McNamee had 9 rebounds. Edwards had 3 boards and 3 dimes. 

The Cougars shot 30 percent from the floor, 18 percent from behind the free throw line and 72 at the free throw line. This was one of the biggest wins for the Cougars of all time and they hope to go farther in the D11 NCJAA championship. 

For the ICCAC Champions, forward Ashly Tull led the Eagles in points with 8, had 8 rebounds, 2 assists, and 4 steals. Kemara Watson was second in scoring with 7. Watson also had 3 rebounds and 1 assist. Guard Karsyn Stratton had 7 points, 7 boards,1 assist, and 1 block. 

The Eagles had 20 turnovers in the loss. They shot a disappointing 24 percent from the floor, 4.5 percent at the 3-point line, and an average 57 percent at the free throw line. 

Categories: Basketball, Sports