Rock Valley holds off Madison for fourth straight Region IV title
GLEN ELLYN, ILL. - The well-oiled machine that is Rock Valley College women's basketball once again yielded a championship trophy, with the Golden Eagles defeating Madison College 76-64 to win the 2020 Region IV Divison III Tournament on Sunday at the College of DuPage. Top-seeded RVC has won four consecutive Region IV crowns and has finished atop the region in eight of the last night years.
Rock Valley College had little trouble in the semifinal round, dispensing #4-seeded Elgin Community College by a 77-47 margin. A 35-30 game at the half, the Golden Eagles held the Spartans to less than ten points in three of the four quarters and won the second half by a 42-17 tally. Freshman guard Hannah Malcomson had 17 points, and was matched by sophomore guard MaKayli Vann's 17 points off the bench.
The title game pitted RVC against #2 Madison College, the only school to have beaten the Golden Eagles in a region championship during the past nine season. The tightly contested matchup saw three ties and a dozen lead changes. The Golden Eagles took a seven-point lead in the first quarter before the WolfPack narrowed the deficit to two entering the second quarter. Madison College held the lead for five minutes until the final two minutes produced a tie and three lead changes for a 41-40 RVC edge at the break. Rock Valley College remained in front throughout the second half, building a seven point lead in the third quarter, and then outscoring the WolfPack 15-7 in the final ten minutes. Four players scored in double-figures for Rock Valley College, led by 16 points from first year guard Maria Hilby. Madison College's Aniah Williams led all scorers with 31 points and averaged 29.5 points over the weekend en route to Region IV Tournament Most Valuable Player honors. Vann and Malcomson were named to the Region IV All-Tournament Team for the Golden Eagles, with first year head coach Darryl Watkins receiving Region IV Coach of the Year accolades.
Rock Valley College, ranked #3 in the NJCAA Division III Poll, advances to the NJCAA Great Lakes District Championship, which it will host on Saturday, February 29 against Region XII winner and #14 Columbus State Community College (OH). The Golden Eagles are 26-6, while the Cougars are 17-6. Tip off is at 1:00 p.m. The winner qualifies for the 2020 NJCAA Division III Women's Basketball Championships, also to be played on Rock Valley College's home floor in Rockford, Illinois.
2020 Region IV Division III All-Tournament Team
Aniah Williams - Madison College
MaKayli Vann - Rock Valley College
Olivia Marron - Madison College
Hannah Malcomson - Rock Valley College
Dasia Norris - Joliet Junior College
Mariel Franco - Elgin Community College
Tournament MVP
Aniah Williams - Madison College
Coach of the Year
Darryl Watkins - Rock Valley College