T-Bird (WBB) Faces Grayson in 1st Round of Region V Tournament

The T-Birds ended the regular season with a 23-5 (10-4) record to finish in a tie for second in the WJCAC and qualify for the Region V Tournament in Odessa, Texas.

The Thunderbirds enter the Region V Tournament as the No. 4 seed after tying for second with South Plains and Howard. The seeding was decided via power points. NMJC will face North Texas Junior College Athletic Conference's (NTJCAC) Grayson College Wednesday, March 11 at 1 p.m. CDT at Odessa College.

The T-Birds will be led by Jada Graves, Zarai Lewis, and Madison Wilson.

Graves, a 5-3 sophomore guard from Amarillo, Texas, has torn up the record books in her second season with the T-Birds.

She is averaging 18.5 PPG, 6.6 APG, 4.1 RPG, 2.3 SPG, and has recorded five double-doubles. Graves is tied for most points per game in a season with Tonya McCaster (1987-88) at 18.5 PPG. She tied the school record for most points in a game with 41 points in the win over No. 1 South Plains on Jan. 19, 2026.  Graves holds the career assists record for NMJC at 312 and is second all-time in assists in a game with 14 (record is 15).  She has started every game this year.   

“Jada has been unreal this season and is playing with such confidence,” NMJC women’s basketball head coach Austin Mefford said. “Not only is she our leader on the court but off the court too. She told me the other day ‘it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish’.” 

“This has been the case of her career when last year she was more of a role player and this year she is the heart and soul of our team. For the team to be successful in this tournament, we need Jada to continue to be the Jada we have had all year.” 

Lewis, a 5-10 sophomore guard, has blossomed in her second year going from 1.8 PPG and no starts to 8.1 PPG and starting all 28 games. She is shooting a team-high 35.6% from 3-point territory and is averaging 3.5 RPG. Her career-high is 23 points against Northeastern JC on Dec. 12.

Wilson is a 5-11 forward out of Houston, Texas. The freshman has stepped it up in her last five games averaging 13.8 PPG and 11.8 RPG. Wilson is averaging 7 PPG and 5.9 RPG in 27 games (6 starts) this season.  

The 2026 Western Junior College Athletic Conference (WJCAC) season has been the most competitive conference years in recent memory. Clarendon was atop the standings for the entire season and finished at 13-1. The next three were all tied for second at 10-4, something you rarely see in any conference.

“This year’s conference was as challenging as it’s ever been,” Coach mefford said. “We had four teams spend time in the top 25 with three different teams in the top 10 at some point. With a group that came in with so many freshmen, the expectation was to repeat but I’m proud of how this team fought to get second, especially given the unfavorable draw in conference of playing 12 of 14 conference teams coming off a bye week.” 

NMJC is set to face Grayson College in the first round of the Region V Tournament. The T-Birds are 4-0 against common opponents and Grayson is 4-1. Grayson's and NMJC share one WJCAC common opponent in Frank Phillips.

The T-Birds won both games against the Plainsmen 74-59 and 85-54. Grayson lost to Frank Phillips 72-68. Grayson comes into Wednesday’s game with a 25-3 (15-1) record with their only conference loss on the road to Collin College.

NMJC was slated to play Grayson in non-conference at the beginning of January, but the game was cancelled due to sickness.

“The flu got in the way of our first matchup and makes this one even more fitting,” Coach Mefford said. “They play harder than any team we have played this season. They are playing with a lot of confidence, are well coached, and have taken care of business in conference. They don’t have a lot of size but rebound well and we have to limit their second chances. They also do a great job of forcing turnovers out of their press and in the half court and we have to value each possession on Wednesday afternoon.” 

Looking at the tournament, Coach Mefford said there are a few things NMJC needs to do to make a run.

“The keys for us to make a deep run will come down to three things…rebounding the ball, limiting turnovers, and shooing a good percentage for 3.” 

NMJC 23-5 (10-4) will play Grayson College 25-3 (15-1) in the first round of the Region V tournament Wednesday, March 11 at 1 p.m. CDT at Odessa College in Odessa, Texas.

All tournament games will be streamed for FREE on TSBN Sports here

To view the entire bracket, visit https://njcaaregion5.com/ information/championship_info.
 
Women’s Quarterfinals | Wednesday, March 11 | Central
1 p.m. | No. 1 Grayson vs. No. 4 New Mexico
3 p.m. | No. 2 Howard vs. No. 3 McLennan
5 p.m. | No. 2 Collin vs. No. 3 South Plains
7 p.m. | No. 1 Clarendon vs. No. 4 Hill