WARREN, Mich. – The Macomb Women's Basketball team enters the final full week of the regular season jockeying for a potential home playoff game. In the week ahead, the Monarchs will travel to Auburn Hills on Wednesday (Feb. 18) for 5:30 p.m. tip-off against Oakland Community College before welcoming Wayne County Community College District to Wayne State's Matthaei Center for Sophomore Day at 1 p.m. on Saturday.
 
The team's Sophomore Day ceremony will take place five minutes before tip-off on Saturday at Wayne State.
 
The Monarchs enter the week 18-8 overall with a 7-4 mark in MCCAA Eastern Conference play. With recent results, the Monarchs have clinched their spot in the Great Lakes District A Championship as either the MCCAA Eastern Conference's No. 3 or No. 4 seed.
 
PLAYOFF PICTURE: At 7-4 in league play with three games remaining, the Monarchs can no longer climb to first or second place in the MCCAA East and cannot fall as far as fifth. The Jets of Jackson College also sit at 7-4 with three games remaining and will also finish the regular season as the MCCAA East's No. 3 or No. 4 seed. With both teams locked into a third or fourth place finish, the Monarchs and Jets will meet in the Great Lakes District A Championship play-in game on March 3.
 
The Monarchs and Jets will meet on the final day of the regular season (Feb. 28) in Jackson in a game that will likely determine who hosts the other to open Great Lakes District A postseason play.
 
The winner of the March 3 playoff game—likely played at 5:30 p.m.—will move on to Mott Community College, the host of the 2026 Great Lakes District Tournaments, for a semifinal contest on March 5 at 3:30 p.m. The Great Lakes District A Championship is slated for March 7 at 1:30 p.m., also at Mott in Flint.
 
A LOOK AT OAKLAND: OCC is 5-19 overall and 2-9 in league play. Both of the Owls victories in conference play have come against Henry Ford.
 
Larissa Gibson leads the Owl offense with 13.8 points per game. Another player to watch is Tracy Ludescher, who averages 11.6 points and leads the team in rebounding (4.8 RPG) and assists (3.0 APG). Madison Spanicciati is right there with Ludescher in the scoring column at 11.6 points per night. 
 
Head coach Bob Belf's team has posted 71.7 points per contest as a team, which ranks them eighth in the MCCAA, one spot ahead of the Monarchs. 
 
A LOOK AT WAYNE COUNTY: The Wildcats enter the week 10-12 overall and 3-8 in the MCCAA East, most recently defeating Mott Community College, 67-56, on Saturday in Detroit. 
 
Alanna Neves is the only player in double-figures offensively with 12.2 points per contest. Makira Kelly averages 8.9 points per night and a team-high 2.2 assists per game. Kamira Bragg pulls down a team-leading 6.3 rebounds per contest. 
 
Wayne County is led by head coach Yvonne Hammoud. 
 
A LOOK AT MACOMB: The comeback effort fell short as the Monarchs lost 74-64 at No. 23 St. Clair County Community College on Saturday afternoon in Port Huron. The host Skippers controlled the glass which proved to be the difference, outrebounding the Monarchs, 53-26. The Monarchs got to within four in the final quarter but the Skippers closed out the game on an 18-12 burst. 
 
Hannah Tamou led the way for Macomb with 19 points and seven rebounds. A'Liyah Forris and Janiya McWilliams added 12 points each. MyKenzi Harris registered nine points, five assists and three steals. 
 
Forris averages a team-best 14.3 points per game among active players for head coach Kirk Carolan. Harris has posted 12.9 points per night while McWilliams has averaged 10.7 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game. 
 
The Monarchs rank ninth in the MCCAA in scoring with 70.3 points per contest. Prior to Saturday's game against the Wildcats, Macomb will hold its Sophomore Day ceremony and honor its 2025-26 sophomore class consisting of A'Liyah Forris, Vanessa Galovich, Asiyah Jihad, Jamiya Rogers, and Janiya McWilliams.
 
EARLIER THIS SEASON: The Monarchs posted their best offensive output of the season in a 110-88 victory over OCC on Jan. 24 in the Matthaei Center. The victory extended the Monarchs winning streak over the Owls to five straight dating back to March 2023.
 
The Monarchs held off a valiant effort by Wayne County to win 73-68 on the road back on Jan. 28. The hard-fought victory resulted in the program's 14^th consecutive win over the Wildcats.
 
LIVE COVERAGE: Oakland will have a live stream of Wednesday's game on their Hudl page. Saturday's Sophomore Day contest will feature live stream and live stats coverage with Tom Cavanaugh and Noah Drury on the call.

UP NEXT: The Monarchs wrap up the regular season Feb. 24 at Jackson College. Tip-off against the Jets is set for 5:30 p.m.