March 11, 2023, FLINT, Mich. -- The Grand Rapids Community College women's basketball team punched its ticket to the NJCAA Division II National Basketball Tournament with a dominating victory over Glen Oaks Community College on Saturday.

GRCC, the No. 5 seed in the Great Lakes B District Tournament, defeated No. 2 seed Glen Oaks 83-66 earning the championship.

"Can't say enough about this group of sophomores," coach David Glazier said. "We talked about being built for this opportunity and today, as a group, they cemented that legacy we'd been talking about for a week. Grace Lodes and Sally Merrill just dominated their performances. But without everybody doing their job, we wouldn't have had the success that we've earned."

The win came off a huge, 28-point performance from Merrill, who was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player.  

Lodes, a sophomore, had another commanding night, scoring 27 points and snatching 15 total rebounds, four of them on offense and 11 as a defender.

GRCC as a team commanded the free throw line, shooting 19-22.

Lodes and sophomores Marlene Bussler were named to the All-Tournament Team, and Glazier earned District B Coach of the Year honors.

Stay tuned next week for MCCAA and Region post season honors, as well as the announcement of the team's opponent in nationals. 

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Interested in supporting GRCC Athletics?  All donations can be done through GRCC Athletic's Scholarship Fund and can specify what scholarship fund the gift is going to, such as the Hofmann scholarship. If you have any questions on how to support Athletics at Grand Rapids Community College, contact the Athletic Department via phone at (616) 234-3883 or email grccathletics@grcc.edu. Any support is appreciated and goes towards assisting our student-athlete scholarship funds.