CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Parkland Women's Basketball (25-6) stunned No. 1 seed Illinois Central, by the final score of 81-54. A balanced Cobras attack saw four players score in double figures.  The win comes on the heels of a thrilling, double-overtime victory over Lake Land just one day earlier. With the victory, Parkland secures the NJCAA Region 24 title and advances to the NJCAA National Tournament for the sixth time in the past nine seasons.
 
The Cobras were dominating from the start, taking a 21-8 lead after the first quarter. The Cougars seemed shell-shocked in the first half and were trailing by twenty-five points, 42-17, at halftime. The two teams played more evenly in the second half, but the Parkland lead was too large for ICC to overcome. For the game, the Cobras scored 30 points from behind the arc, making 53%. In comparison, the Cougars shot only 11% from long range, making 2 of 18.
 
Karlee Ziliak (18 points) led all scorers in the game, with Kerstyn Lowery (17 points, 6 assists), Layne Buzan (14 points, 8 rebounds), and Ryan Dooley (10 points, 4 rebounds) also scoring in double figures. Parkland combined for 16 assists, led by Lowery, while ICC produced only 7. Led by Buzan and Avery Hamm (5 rebounds), with assistance from Dooley and Payton Bieber (4 rebounds), the Cobras won the battle of the boards, 35-30.
 
Parkland will travel to Harrison, Arkansas, for the NJCAA National Tournament, with its first contest on Tuesday, March 21st, against Cincinnati State.