NMJC (WBB) Region V Tournament Preview

The NMJC women's basketball team begins their quest for a national title this week at the Region V Tournament in Weatherford, Texas on March 13-16.

The T-Birds are the reigning Region V champions from 2023. NMJC defeated South Plains in the title game last season 56-37.

The T-Birds can earn an automatic bid to the national tournament in Casper, Wyoming via a Region V title. If NMJC drops a game, they will await their fate with the hopes of an at-large bid to the national tournament. The selection show is on the NJCAA Network Sunday, March 17 at 8 p.m. EST.

The Thunderbirds are coming off their ninth WJCAC title and second WJCAC championship under head coach Austin Mefford. The T-Birds finished with a 25-5 (13-1) record in the regular season to share the conference championship with Odessa College 27-3 (13-1). The conference losses by the Wranglers and T-Birds were to each other on the road.

Coach Mefford was surprised that a 13-1 record was only enough to earn a share of the WJCAC.

"I never thought with how tough our league is that it would take one loss to win and be co-champs," Mefford said. "But that's just how good Odessa College and we are this year."

The Thunderbirds enter the Region V Tournament as the No. 1 seed in front of Odessa College by way of a lucky coin flip that fell tails in favor of the T-Birds. NMJC will face Cisco College Wednesday, March 13 at 1 p.m. CDT at Weatherford College.

The T-Birds will be led by stars Pania Davis and Cacia Antonio. Davis, a 6-6 freshman forward, is a Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) All-American averaging 13.5 PPG, 10.6 RPG, 3.1 BPG, and recorded 13 double-doubles. Antonio, a 5-10 freshman guard, is a WBCA Honorable Mention All-American averaging 15.1 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 4.2 APG, 2.9 SPG, and registered six double-doubles.

The Thunderbirds are 8-1 against Cisco's common opponents and Cisco is 4-6 against those same teams.

"We're fortunate to be the No. 1 seed," Mefford said. "Cisco crept in there at No. 4 in the north with a good break with a win over Grayson and a Hill loss on the final day. But they also at the same time went and took care of business."

The Wranglers pose a different threat than what the Thunderbirds are used to playing against.

"Cisco a different team than anybody we have played this year. They're small, but they'll spread you out," Mefford said. "One through five can handle the ball, which is unique. But at the same time, if we go and play our game and play well, we'll be fine. We are as good as anybody when we play well, regardless of who we play."

Keep an eye on Cisco's second leading scorer, Eva Fernandez. The Spaniard averages 14.4 PPG and was a member of the 2022-23 NMJC basketball program.

The Thunderbirds do not want to look too far ahead, but the road to a region title will not be easy beyond Cisco.

"It's a wide open tournament. If we win, we could play South Plains for the third time or the No. 4 team in the country in Collin," Mefford said. "It's going to be a fun tournament, but we've got to go win some games for us to get into the national tournament and that starts Wednesday against Cisco."

The Thunderbirds have navigated a variety of injuries throughout the year to win conference and have the No. 9 ranking in the country.

"We've had to fight through injuries this year. When we lost to Casper Pania didn't play. We lost Wisdom to injury late in the year and we've been able to overcome," Mefford said. "We've just got to go next man up. We'll keep playing and hopefully we'll have enough healthy bodies at the end."

NMJC will play Cisco in the first round of the Region V tournament in Weatherford, Texas at Weatherford College on Wednesday, March 13 at 1 p.m. CDT. Click here to see the stream for Wednesday's game. 

Tournament passes are $25 each, and day passes are $10 or $8 for senior citizens or students. Passes for the games can be purchased in advance online at weatherfordcollege.simpletix.com.