JOLIET, ILL - The Madison College women's basketball team's 2021-22 season came to a conclusion Friday with a 68-52 loss to Joliet Junior College in the 2022 NJCAA Region 4 Division III Women's Basketball semifinals. The #3-seeded WolfPack had the challenging task of traveling to play the #2-seed Wolves in back-to-back games after closing the regular season with a 23-point setback just three days prior. Madison College finishes the year with a 5-19 record, marking the fewest wins in program history.

In a near-mirrored result from Tuesday, Madison College fell into an early deficit with a rough first quarter, trailing 21-9 after the opening ten minutes. After freshman Taylor Ripp began the game with an inside basket, the Wolves responded with ten consecutive points until a three-point play from sophomore Olivia Marron. Joliet Junior College (10-13) went on to tally 11 of the next 13 points to build a 14-point lead. The second quarter was a back-and-forth affair that ended with JJC improving their advantage by a basket at 37-23. A 9-0 run in the fourth pushed the differential to a game-high 25 points before Madison College finished the game on an 11-2 surge.

Ripp, a guard from Lodi, Wisconsin, scored a career-best 25 points on 12 of 19 shooting with one free throw. It's her second 20-plus point game this season, and the 13th outing with at least ten points. She also amassed four rebounds and two assists.

Marron was the only other double-digit scorer, posting 13 points, five rebounds, four assists, two steals, and one block in the final game for the Madison College two-sport athlete. The native of La Farge, Wisconsin, ends the year with a team-leading 12.7 points per game average.

Freshman Laurissa Pickel secured a team-high seven rebounds, first year forward Dana Zidani matched Marron for team-high honors with four helpers, and freshman Brianna Hendricks picked up three steals.

The win for Joliet Junior College is the fourth in seventh postseason meetings with the WolfPack. They now lead the all-time series 22-16 after taking two of three against Madison College this season. 

The semifinal setback brings the coaching career of WolfPack head coach Lois Heeren to a close, as she will retire following 34 years in the collegiate game and six years with Madison College. Heeren leaves the program after earning a 82-54 record and reaching 345 career victories.

Joliet Junior College advanced to take on #1-seed Rock Valley College in the Region 4 Division III Women's Basketball Tournament Championship, which the Golden Eagles won by a 54-48 margin. They will now host the Region 12 winner for the NJCAA Great Lakes District Championship on Saturday, February 26.



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