The Schoolcraft Women’s and Men’s basketball teams played their final games of their 2025-26 season and concluded their participation in the National Championship respectively this past weekend.
The Women’s team ended the season 33-2 and the Men’s team 26-8.
Women’s Basketball
After the heartbreak in a first round loss to UCNJ at Nationals, the Ocelots continued their journey in the 2026 DII Women’s Basketball Championship – Consolation Bracket, facing Monroe Community College (23-9) on Wed. March 18.
The team bounced back and claimed victory with a 12-point win, 91-79. The Ocelots struggled with field goals in the second quarter, a rarity during the regular season, shooting only 25% from the field. This was crucially compensated by an 90% free-throw percentage, allowing them to manage the lead through the final two quarters.
The standout player was freshman guard Briana Young, who recorded a double-double with 19 points and 14 rebounds. Sophomore Siena McNitt also delivered a complete performance with 13 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 7 steals, showing significant involvement on both ends of the court.
Moving forward, the Ocelots faced Moraine Valley Community College on Friday, March 20 and once again secured a victory, this time with a 17-point margin, 77-60.
While the first half was balanced, the Ocelots’ free-throw accuracy again proved to be a determining factor. The third quarter was physically contested, but Schoolcraft’s defensive dominance prevailed, recording 6 turnovers, 5 steals, and a block. In the final period, the Ocelots locked down the paint, holding Moraine Valley to just 20% from the field. The bench also played a vital role, contributing 31 points to the winning effort.
The match featured 3 individual highlights, with sophomore Mariah Scott leading the scoring with 15 points, 3 rebounds, and a steal. sophomore guard Raegan Byrd contributed a strong 14 points, 4 rebounds, and a steal, while McNitt nearly notched a double-double with 11 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 assists.
The victory set the stage for a final showdown on Sat. March 21 against a familiar foe: Lansing Community College.
The rivalry had been intense all season. The Ocelots defeated the Stars 65-61 in the preseason and 74-69 in the MCCAA Championship game. However, the final national meeting proved to be another defensive battle, which ended with Lansing on top, winning 59-58.
The Ocelots started strong, leading after the first quarter. However, scoring difficulties in the second and third quarters left them trailing by 7 points heading into the final frame. Despite an impressive defensive comeback in the fourth quarter, holding the Stars to only 8 points, the Ocelots’ 14-point surge fell just one point short.
A key factor was the shooting from three-point. While the team converted 100% of their three-point attempts, all of them occurred in the first quarter, leaving the offense stagnant in the later stages.
Even with the shooting slump, Schoolcraft dominated the paint with 32 points and 43 rebounds, capitalizing on Lansing’s turnovers to score 18 second-chance points. Freshman Iyana Stephens led the team with 14 points and 9 rebounds, supported by double-digit scoring from Young (12) and McNitt (10).
The Ocelots concluded a historic season for the program with back-to-back national appearances.
As undefeated MCCAA East, MCCAA Conference, and Great Lakes District C Champions, they achieved an unprecedented milestone in Schoolcraft history, ending the campaign with a 33-2 overall record.
Men’s Basketball
In the same way as the women’s team, after a loss in the first round of the 2026 DII Men’s Basketball Championship , the Schoolcraft Men’s basketball team returned to the court to continue their campaign in the Consolation Bracket.
With a comfortable 27-point victory, finishing the game 90-63, the team defeated Davidson-Davie Community College on Wed. March 18.
The Ocelots had an excellent first half, building an advantage that would lead them to victory at the end of the game. A completely different start from their first game against Iowa Central Community College. With a 61.3% field goal percentage, the Ocelots scored 47 points, compared to the Storm’s 26.
In the second half, the metric was even better, with a 70% field goal percentage, the Ocelots scored another 43 points, with the Storm keeping pace and scoring 37, which were not enough to overcome the deficit.
Dominating the paint, as well as the participation of the players coming off the bench, were determining factors in building the score.
The game’s top scorer was sophomore Rael Cochran, with 22 points, plus 6 rebounds and 3 steals. Freshman Jeremiah Caffey recorded a double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds. Freshman Tylor Robinson also had good numbers with 14 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 steals, being the individual highlights of the match.
The game also served as a warning to the team due to the high number of turnovers conceded by the Ocelots. Davidson-Davie scored 21 points from turnovers.
With the victory over Davidson-Davie, the Ocelots advanced to the next game against Johnson County on Friday, March 20, a game that would determine who would advance to the final game in the quest for 7th place in the tournament.
The game was decided on the last shot. With 2 seconds left on the clock, the Cavaliers shot and scored 2 points to break the tie, ending the game 75-73 and ending the Ocelots’ run. In any case, the Ocelots spared no effort to win the game.
The first half ended with a partial defeat of 40-32, which was reversed, with the partial score of the second half being 41-35. The Ocelots relied on three-pointers to try and get back on track, which ended up having an effect, but by a narrow margin, it didn’t allow the game to go into overtime.
The Ocelots had 70 field goal attempts, but only 27 conversions. The same happened with three-point shots, with 31 attempts, converting 11. Schoolcraft’s numbers were superior, but Johnson County’s effectiveness allowed them to win.
In another great performance, Cochran scored 21 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists. Caffey, the surprise element coming off the bench, also contributed with 12 points, 5 rebounds, and 1 block.
The Ocelots finished the season with an excellent campaign. With an overall record of 26-8, and champions of the Great Lakes District C Championship, which qualified them for the NJCAA National Championship Tournament.
