The Madison College women’s basketball team lost out of the NJCAA Region IV Tournament one game short of the championship.

The WolfPack won their first game against the College of DuPage, 66-47, which advanced them to the semifinals, where they played Joliet Junior College, a team the WolfPack had beaten twice on the year.

But against Joliet on Feb. 24, the WolfPack couldn’t make shots late in the game and ended up falling by a score of 74-69.

Madison College played its first game of the tournament on Feb. 20 at Redsden Gymnasium against DuPage College, a team they had beaten twice this year.

The halftime score was 34-15, and the WolfPack were on cruise control the rest of the way. However, it seemed like they just couldn’t finish the win, never able to pull away.

Finally, with about 6:29 left in the second half, coach Lois Heeren subbed in Megan Corcoran, Peyton Trapino, and Chyanne Udelhoven, her three strongest scorers, and from there the game was sealed.

Corcoran led Madison College with 17 points, while Trapino and Udelhoven both added 12 points. Tianna Sackett was the only other WolfPack player to reach double figures in the game, scoring 10 points.

The second round of the tournament took place on Feb. 24 for the WolfPack. Their opponent was Joliet Junior College, another team who the WolfPack had beaten both home and away in the regular season.

Madison College started the game with a hot hand from behind the 3-point line. The team hit 6 of 13 attempts in the first quarter alone, which helped them to a 33-27 halftime lead.

But then the WolfPack hit only 4 of 17 from behind the arc after the first quarter.

Joliet Junior College began its rally in the third quarter, outscoring Madison College 25-17. Joliet finished the game with four players in double figures, including Kianna Campbell, who finished with 15 points. Joliet scored 50 of their 74 points in the paint.

With high hopes going into the season, Coach Heeren can be proud of her girls’ effort.

Led all season by Corcoran, the WolfPack started off with one win and three losses and came back to finish with a 20-9 overall record.

The WolfPack added players all season, including Trapino, who missed time due to her soccer commitments, and injury. Udelhoven also had to come back from a knee problem, and missed the beginning of the season. When she did start to play for the WolfPack, her outside shooting added another dimension to the WolfPack’s offense.

Later in the season, Tierra and Tianna Sackett were added, and they were able to add depth to Coach Heeren’s bench. Danee Collier and Jaylen Stueber were valuable players who gobbled up rebounds down low, while KJ Burks provided steady minutes from bench. Burks was third on the team in games played, a testament to her commitment to the team.

The 2018 season didn’t finish with a championship, but the second-year players will have fond memories of this year.