NORTHEAST CLINCHES HOME PLAYOFF MATCHUP IN LOSS WEDNESDAY AGAINST ELLSWORTH

NORFOLK, Neb. – The Northeast Community College women's basketball team returned home to the Cox Activities Wednesday night for their final contest of the regular season. The Hawks fell in the showdown by a final score of 75-64 but secured the four seed in the Region 11-A Tournament.

Northeast (20-8, 12-6 ICCAC) led early as sophomore Mia Wiederin (Norfolk, Neb.) scored a game-high 27 points in what was her final regular-season matchup in a Hawks jersey. Aaliyah Jones (Rapid City, S.D.) had 13 points and nine rebounds as Northeast will now look ahead to hosting the Region 11-A Tournament Semifinals at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Cox Activities Center in Norfolk.

Sophomores Wiederin, Maikole Carlow (Pine Ridge, S.D.), Esmée Creyghton (Leiderdorp, Netherlands), Merel Braakhuis (Manderveen, Netherlands), Clara Garrote (Salamanca, Spain) and Alex Arenas (Wakefield, Neb.) were all honored at the conclusion of the ballgame as part of Sophomore Night.

STAT SHEET:

Mia Wiederin (Norfolk, Neb.): 27 PTS, 5 REB, 3 AST

Aaliyah Jones (Rapid City, S.D.): 13 PTS, 9 REB, 3 AST, 3 STL

Merel Braakhuis (Manderveen, Netherlands): 10 PTS, 4 REB, 2 STL

HEAR FROM THE HAWKS COACH:

Head Women's Basketball Coach Matt Svehla on the night against Ellsworth:

"Good battle," Svehla said. "We just had a dry spell there in the fourth. Two-point ballgame with about six minutes to go and we went about four minutes without being able to score a basket. Had some turnovers. Ellsworth is a good team, so you tip your hat to them. It's playoff time and we get to host a game on Saturday against a good DMACC team, so we are going to have to be ready to play."

Svehla on packing the stands for a playoff showdown on Saturday:

"It's always great to have fans in the stands when you are playing and I think players enjoy it," Svehla said. "This group has been a fun one to watch. We would really appreciate, and it will be awesome for anyone who has a moment to come out and cheer us on."

UP NEXT:

The Hawks will host the Region 11-A Tournament Semifinals at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Cox Activities Center in Norfolk.

HAWKS HAPPENINGS:

For all the latest information on Northeast Hawks Athletics, please visit northeasthawks.com. For updates and other exciting content, follow:

@northeastcchawks on Facebook

@northeasthawks on Instagram

@northeasthawks on TikTok

@NortheastHawks on Twitter/X

@NortheastCCWBB on Twitter/X