Johnson County men, KCK women reach semifinals of NJCAA Division II tournaments

The Johnson County men’s and Kansas City Kansas women’s community college basketball teams are each two wins away from national championships.

The No. 2 seed Johnson County men held on for a 73-72 victory over No. 10 seed Lakeland (Ohio) 73-72 Wednesday night in the NJCAA Division II quarterfinals in Danville, Ill. Lakeland rallied from a double-digit deficit but missed a potential game-winning shot in the final seconds.

The Cavaliers (30-4) will play either No. 11 seed John Wood or No. 14 seed Cecil, who play at 6 p.m. Thursday, in the semifinals at 8:30 p.m. Friday. The championship game is at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.

The No. 3 seed Kansas City Kansas women beat No. 6 seed Pima (Ariz.) 82-68 in the quarterfinals Wednesday in Harrison, Ark.

Starter Brodi Byrd and Camryn Swanson, who came off the bench, each scored a team-high 15 points for the Blue Devils (30-4), who advance to the semifinals at 6 p.m. Friday against No. 7 seed Cape Fear (N.C.). Byrd and Swanson combined for eight of KCK’s 10 three-pointers.

The Blue Devils are seeking their second national championship in four seasons. The championship game is at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.

Division II Elite Eight seeds

After winning NCAA Tournament regional championships, the undefeated Northwest Missouri men and Drury women both received No. 1 seeds for next week’s Division II Elite Eight.

Northwest (35-0) will take on No. 8 seed Mercyhurst (Pa.) (26-7) at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday in the national quarterfinals in Evansville, Ind. The men’s semifinals are Thursday with the championship game set for Saturday.

Drury (34-0) will face No. 8 seed Nova Southeastern (Fla.) (21-11) at 5 p.m. Tuesday in Columbus, Ohio. The women’s semifinals are Wednesday and the final is set for Friday.

This story was originally published March 20, 2019 at 10:29 PM.