The 2019-20 Cyclones had big shoes to fill after the success of last year's squad. Even though they saw a different finale, they continued the program's winning ways, earned honors and maintained a high-level competitive edge.
To start the season, the Cyclones were ranked No. 13 in NJCAA Division II. They only returned three from last year's team that finished eighth at the national tournament but had strong recruits in the mix. In the end, Moraine Valley had a 23-9 overall record and went 7-3 in the Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference. They had 18 wins by 10 or more points and nearly qualified for nationals a second consecutive year.
Moraine Valley hosted the Region IV finals for men and women, giving the Cyclones a home advantage. They faced Kankakee Community College, a team that dealt them a 92-58 loss in January. This matchup determined who would compete at nationals. The Cyclones led for most of game and barely lost the hard-fought battle 67-61 to end the season.
"I don't think a lot of people in the region expected us to be in the finals after losing our core from last year's team. But this group helped carry on the Moraine Valley tradition and kept us respectable. At times, we were scary with how we scored. Whether we won or lost that last game, I already believed I had a wonderful group of women who were coachable and wanted to get better every game. And we really did get better as the season went along," said Head Coach Delwyn Jones, who ended his 20th season running the show.
Sophomore forward Nicole Poole was one of the most improved players, especially on her mental approach, from last year's group. She was named to the All-Region Tournament team and earned an All-Conference honorable mention while tallying eight double-doubles and averaging 10.4 rebounds per game. She was No. 3 in the NJCAA for defensive rebounds (247) and No. 8 for total rebounds (332). "I'm so proud of the player she turned out to be and the number of double-doubles she had. Whatever team has her next year will have a fantastic player who can shoot the three, rebound, block shots and run the floor like a guard. We'll truly miss her," Jones said.
Erin Greenfield, also a sophomore forward, suffered an injury early in the season that stopped the force on the court she was last year. "Having Erin to finish the season would've been a major piece in facing Kankakee. She gave us everything she had offensively and defensively, ran the floor on fast breaks and was a great leader. It was a big loss when she was injured. If she plays next year, whoever has her will get a winner," Jones explained.
The third sophomore, guard Lexi Langellier was a hard worker, who made big strides. Jones said, "She improved a lot and did a lot of good things defensively. She has always played hard and put in the effort. I'm proud of the work she put in throughout the season."
Of the newcomers, forward Kirsten Kamholz and guard Chelsea Cross took the lead on offense. Kamholz was named to the NJCAA All-American first team, was Region IV Player of the Year, named to the All-Region Tournament team and earned All-Region and All-Conference first team honors. She averaged 17.2 points per game and ranked 10th nationally for steals (107) and 12th in points (550). Cross earned All-Tournament and All-Region team as well as All-Conference second team honors. She averaged 14.2 points per game and was ranked third in the NJCAA for free throws (165-231). Both are set to return next season.
"I believe we set the stage for next year. The freshmen have the chance to continue their growth. The sophomores are leaving for the next level as much better athletes and people," Jones said. "I'm proud at how far these young women came, and they were mostly freshmen, so we had a long way to go. They improved so much as players and women. I'm very proud of this team."