ON TO CASPER! Cochise Women's Basketball clinches Region 1 title with win over Eastern Arizona

THATCHER, Ariz. --- The Cochise Women's Basketball team stamped their ticket to Casper, Wy for the NJCAA National Tournament with a big win on the road over Eastern Arizona in the Region Championship game. The Apaches toppled over the Gila Monsters 68-49 in what was all Cochise for the majority of the game.

Cochise and EAC met for the second consecutive year in the region title game, this year with a different result, as the Apaches stormed out of the gate with a 12-8 lead at the end of the first quarter, and a 34-25 lead at the half. In the first half, Eastern Arizona had no answer for a dominant Fortuna Ngnawo who scored 10 points leading the Apaches into the locker room at halftime.

Cochise came back in the third quarter to outscore EAC 16-9 refusing to allow the Gila Monsters to claw their way back into the game. In the fourth, sophomore Ali Hardwell scored 7 points to lead Cochise and eventually clinch the region championship for the Apaches. With the win, Cochise Women's Basketball has earned an automatic bid into the 2024 NJCAA Women's Basketball Tournamen beginning March 26th in Casper, Wyoming. 

Ngnawo was named Region Tournament MVP, on the same day she was awarded with WBCA (Women's Basketball Coaches Association) All-American honors. 

More tournament information will be posted soon.