The third-ranked Blinn College women's basketball team fell just short of a second consecutive Region XIV Tournament championship in a tough 67-65 loss to No. 5 Trinity Valley Community College on Saturday at Tyler Junior College, in Tyler, Texas.
The Buccaneers (30-3) will await the NJCAA Division I Women's Basketball Championship tournament selection show at 7 p.m. on Sunday, March 12, to find out whether or not they will qualify for nationals. Blinn's resume, which includes a Region XIV regular-season co-championship, should make it a favorite to earn an at-large bid. The selection show for the women's national tournament will air on the NJCAA Network.
"I can't be more pleased with this group. I've done this for 24 years. You don't win 30 games very often; this is a special group of players," Buccaneers head coach Jeff Jenkins said. "I'm so proud of this team and their effort tonight. They played as hard and as competitively as I have seen all year. I can't wait to coach this team at least one more game."
Blinn faced the Cardinals for the third time this season and entered the title tilt with one win and one loss against their conference rival
It appeared early the Buccaneers were poised to run away with a victory, carrying a 37-23 lead into halftime, but Trinity Valley made a run in the second half to make a game of it.
The contest came down to an offensive foul charged to the Buccaneers with 10 seconds left. The Cardinals then made two free throws to take the lead for good. Blinn had a chance following a timeout but turned the ball over and Trinity Valley salted away the final seconds for the victory.
Leading the way for Blinn was sophomore forward Tiffany Tullis, who had 21 points and six rebounds. Sophomore guard Skylar Barnes and Jakoriah Long had 12 and 10 points, respectively.
Tullis and Barnes were named to the Region XIV All-Tournament team.
Despite the setback, Jenkins was upbeat and focused on the future, with his team almost certainly headed for nationals in Lubbock, Texas, on March 22.
"I thought my team played hard down the stretch; I thought we were fighting the entire time," Jenkins said. "We're 30-3 and this sophomore class is 58-8. I've coached long enough to know that I probably won't get to coach another group like this again, and I'm certainly not ready for the journey to end."
With innovative programs and award-winning co-enrollment partnerships, Blinn's academic transfer rate ranks No. 1 among Texas community colleges.
