T-Bird (WBB) Advances to Region V Semifinal

Pania Davis and Aaliyah Holmes each scored 18 points as the Thunderbirds took down Cisco College 76-55 in the first round of the Region V Tournament.

Davis hit her first 3-pointer of the season at the 2:40 mark of the first quarter to give NMJC a nine-point advantage over the Wranglers, 17-8. Amyah Sutton went 2-for-2 in the quarter from downtown to continue her hot streak from 3-point territory. The last three games Sutton is 6-for-9 from the 3-point line. NMJC ended the first quarter with a 22-13 lead over Cisco.

A three-pointer by the Wranglers brought the lead back within nine points, 27-18 with 5:18 to go in the quarter. NMJC closed the half on a 10-4 run to make the score 37-22 at the break. The Thunderbirds outscored Cisco 16-13 in the third quarter and headed into the fourth quarter up by 18 points, 53-35.

Cisco turned the page in the fourth quarter with a 10-0 run in the first 1:40 to pull within eight points, 53-45. A Holmes 3-pointer was the first basket in the fourth for NMJC and brought the lead back up to double digits 56-45 with 6:20 to go.

The Wranglers countered with a three of their own to pull within eight, 56-48, for the second time in the quarter. The T-Birds outscored the Wranglers 15-4 over the next four minutes to put the game out of reach.

NMJC went on to defeat Cisco 76-55 to advance to the semifinals of the Region V Tournament.

Pania Davis recorded her 14th double-double of the season. The freshman forward finished with 18 points, 10 rebounds, and four blocks.

Aaliyah Holmes hit four 3-pointers and finished with 18 points on the afternoon. Holmes is just three triples shy from tying Angel Reyes's (2010-11) record for most threes in a season at 74. 

Cacia Antonio grabbed 11 boards and dished out seven assists in the 21-point win. NMJC's only returner, Filipa Calisto, notched 11 points and nine rebounds in a solid showing on Wednesday. Amyah Sutton posted 12 points off the bench.

The Thunderbirds were 26-of-72 (36.1%) from the field, shot 10-for-25 (40%) from three, and 14-for-18 (77.8%) from the line. The T-Birds held the Wranglers to 33.3% from the field.

NMJC women's basketball head coach Austin Mefford was impressed with the fight Cisco presented. 

"Cisco played hard for 40 minutes, and those kids never quit," Mefford said. "They got back in the game in the fourth. We got a little relaxed for a couple minutes there. But I liked the way our team responded after that, to get the lead back up and to keep it."

The Thunderbirds were playing a gentle balancing act towards the end of the game against Cisco. The rotation is slightly in flux due to injuries, which means new players are in the mix and starters minutes are being stretched out.  

"We're trying to play three games in four days. You have to try to preserve as much legs as you can. We're going to have to rely on some of our people that have played a lot of minutes all season to play a lot of minutes in this next game on Friday, and it's going to be tough."

The T-Birds are without starting guard Wisdom Anthony who is out due to a knee injury. The Thunderbird starters will require more minutes as mentioned before, but don't count out a surprise postseason performance from someone off the bench.

"You always need somebody to step up in the tournament to be able to make a run and win it you have got to have somebody that does more than they normally do. And who's that going to be this weekend? I can't tell you just yet."

The T-Birds now look ahead to the north's No. 2 seed Collin College at 1 p.m. CDT on Friday, March 15. Collin comes in as the No. 4 team in the country and is seeking revenge after NMJC knocked them out in the semifinal of regionals last year 65-62.

"Collin is No. 4 in the country, and they only have two losses all year. They have two of the best guards in the country," Mefford said. "I believe Jennings was just named WBCA Player of the Year and then Mackenzie Buss averages 20 points as well. We've got to slow them down and limit the opportunities for them to touch the ball. When they do, we've got to try to make them give it up before they can score."

The key for the T-Birds will be finding 6-6 forward Pania Davis and exploiting her size against the smaller defenders.

"We need to get Pania the ball. She's the biggest advantage we have in this tournament," Mefford said. "In terms of size, I don't know how many teams on the north are over six foot. She has to capitalize and we have to get her the ball. She'll be a big part of our game plan once again against Collin."

Collin came into last year's matchup in the Region V Tournament as favorite and lost to the T-Birds 65-62. This week's game has a similar feel to 2023.

"We never looked at it as we're the underdogs but essentially on paper we probably are, so it'll be tough," Mefford said. "Last year we were able to get up and then they nailed and clawed back and luckily the time ran out before they could catch us. We hope to make it a little easier on ourselves this go round."

NMJC will play Collin College in the semifinals of the Region V tournament in Weatherford, Texas at Weatherford College on Friday, March 15 at 1 p.m. CDT. Click here to see the stream for Friday's game. 

Tournament passes are $25 each, and day passes are $10 or $8 for senior citizens or students. Passes for the games can be purchased in advance online at weatherfordcollege.simpletix.com.