JACKSON, Mich. – Playing for a MCCAA Eastern Conference Championship, the host Jackson College Jets started strong and held off a battle-ready Monarchs team by a 74-61 final Tuesday (Feb. 27) in Jackson. The loss in the regular season finale ends the Monarchs' five-game winning streak and sends the Blue & White to 17-9 overall and 7-5 in the MCCAA East.

The road setback resulted in the Monarchs earning the No. 4 seed out of the MCCAA Eastern Conference. The Blue & White will open Great Lakes District A Tournament play at East No. 3 seed Schoolcraft College next Tuesday (March 5) at 5:30 p.m. We will have more on that matchup at a later date.

As for Tuesday's tilt at Jackson, the Monarchs went back-and-forth with the Jets early on before the hosts outscored the Blue & White by a 24-12 margin in the second quarter to take a 44-27 lead into the halftime break.
Second half action saw the Monarchs battle back to make it a three possession game on multiple occasions, but the Jets had an answer every time the game tightened up as they went on to win the 13-point margin.

Eight-time (six this season alone) MCCAA Eastern Conference Player of the Week Tamia Tounsel (Macomb, Mich./Dakota) paced the Monarchs with 22 points and 14 rebounds to add another double-double to her ongoing tally. Tounsel was followed by Marissa Thomas (Toledo, Ohio/Perrysburg) who recorded a double-double of her own with 11 points and 10 rebounds to go along with five assists. Sydney Garon (Shelby Twp., Mich./Henry Ford II) matched Thomas' output in the scoring column with 11 points and Kamryn Richards (Grosse Pointe Park, Mich./Grosse Pointe South) added eight points, three rebounds and a pair of assists.