By JACOB WOERTHER
Sports Editor

(WARRENSBURG, Mo., digitalBURG) — After trailing for 24:21, Jennies basketball mounted a fourth quarter comeback to lock-in their spot for the MIAA Tournament. Their win over Pittsburg State Saturday, Feb. 25, clinches the two-seed in the tournament and guarantees them a bye to the quarterfinals.

The Jennies trailed the Gorillas 9-8 with 3:56 left in the first quarter, but a layup and a three-pointer from Mikaela Burgess gave the Gorillas an eight-point lead heading into the second.

Triples from Brenlee McPherson and Burgess extended the Gorilla’s lead to 13 midway through the second quarter, giving them their largest lead of the night. A Paige Redmond three-pointer and series of free throws cut the lead down to five and the Jens trailed just 37-32 going into the third.

The Jennies found some much-needed momentum in the second half and slowly chipped away at the Gorilla’s lead throughout the third.

The Jennies reclaimed the lead with a layup from Redmond with 8:43 left in the fourth, demonstrating why they are a fourth quarter team. The Gorillas came within a basket of regaining the lead but a 3-pointer from Sydney Crockett helped seal the game for the Jennies

Kayonna Lee recorded her eighth double-double of the season tying a career-high 21 rebounds and racking up a career-high 17 points. Lee’s 21 rebounds are the most by any MIAA player in a single game this season.

Redmond led the Jens with 21 points on the night. Kelsey Williams and Crockett each put up 13. As a team, the Jennies shot 20-for-60 from the field and 2-for-14 from beyond the arc.

Burgess lead the Gorillas with 26 points and McPherson ended the day with 13.

The Jennies’ first MIAA Tournament game is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Friday, March 3 at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The Jens will play the winner of the Southwest Baptist-Washburn game.