CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The No. 13 ranked Parkland College women's basketball team survived a late fourth-quarter comeback from John Wood Community College on Saturday, January 21st, as the Cobras beat the Blazers 63-57. The Cobras outrebounded the Blazers 38-29 as Parkland extended its current winning streak to five games. Sophomore Jennifer Heinberg (16 points, 4-8 3PT) led the team in scoring, while sophomore Shae Bell grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds. Parkland College has now won 11 straight games over John Wood Community College dating back to 2019.

"Not the prettiest win, but I'm happy we were able to get the job done," Parkland College head coach Laura Litchfield said after the game. "We got a big spark from Jen early on with her shooting, and Brooke Runge stepped up huge with running the point and bringing energy on defense. There's still a lot for us to work on, but credit to John Wood for how hard they played."

The Cobras (15-1) (2-0) fell behind early, trailing 8-4 at the team's first timeout with 6:10 remaining in the first quarter. The Blazers (7-10) (1-1) led 13-11 at the start of the second quarter, and the visitors extended their lead to 26-18 with four minutes to go. The Cobras responded with a 14-0 run in the closing stages of the half to take their first lead of the game, and Parkland went into halftime leading 34-28. Sophomore Shae Bell opened the second half with back-to-back baskets, and the Cobras quickly led 40-31. Parkland closed the third quarter on an 11-3 run, taking a 51-38 lead into the fourth, but the Blazers would not go quietly. An 8-0 John Wood run midway through the fourth quarter cut the Parkland lead down to 57-54 with 2:30 left. The Cobra sophomores stepped up down the stretch, scoring the final six points and closing out the Blazers on their home court to secure the 63-57 win on Saturday.

Statistical Overview:
Jennifer Heinberg: 16 points, 4-8 3PT, 3 rebounds, 3 assists
Abby Shepard: 9 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals
Shae Bell: 9 points, 11 rebounds, 5 blocks
Alyssa Cole: 12 points, 2 assists
Mallory Cyrulik: 8 points, 5 rebounds

Up next, Parkland will travel to Canton, Illinois, on Wednesday, January 25th, for another conference matchup against Spoon River College. Tip-off against the Snappers (10-7) (0-2) is scheduled for 5:30 PM on Wednesday.