SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – The No. 1 seed Parkland College women's basketball team lost 70-50 to No. 3 seed Lincoln Land Community College in the Region 24 Championship Game on Sunday, March 10th. The Cobras (26-5) fell behind early versus the Loggers (27-6) as they struggled to make shots against the tournament hosts in the loss. Sophomores Alyssa Cole (14 points, 11 rebounds) and Abby Shepard (14 points, 6 rebounds) led the Cobas in scoring, while freshman Megan Janson recorded a game-high seven assists. Parkland outrebounded Lincoln Land 41-33 but shot just 18-61 (29%) from the field and coughed up 19 turnovers, losing its second game in Springfield this season.
 
The Cobras got on the board first, but a rough first quarter on offense saw the visitors trailing 18-5 after one. In the second quarter, Parkland powered back with a quick 9-0 run, and freshman Siarah Brown buried a three to cut the deficit to 22-20 with 5:46 left. The Cobras kept it close late in the half, going into halftime down 26-22. The game remained tight early in the third quarter, as Parkland trailed 31-26 following an Alyssa Cole bucket with 8:20 on the clock, but an 11-3 run from Lincoln Land pushed the lead back to 42-29 midway through the quarter, forcing Parkland to call timeout. The Loggers kept momentum on their side out of the timeout, heading into the fourth quarter with a 50-34 lead, and their lead grew to 58-40 with 6:20 remaining. The Cobras kept fighting until the end but ultimately fell short in the 70-50 loss in the championship game.
 
Statistical Overview:
Alyssa Cole: 14 points, 11 rebounds
Abby Shepard: 14 points, 6 rebounds
Siarah Brown: 9 points, 4 rebounds
Megan Janson: 6 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists
 
Up next, the Cobras await to find out if they earn an at-large selection to the NJCAA DII National Tournament. National Tournament seedings will be announced on Tuesday, March 12th, at 2:00 p.m. during the NJCAA Basketball Selection Show on the NJCAA Network.