NORFOLK, Neb. — Marshalltown CC women’s basketball ended a season full of frustrating results with a 65-35 defeat to Northeast CC Saturday evening in the first round of the NJCAA Region XI tournament. The Tigers (1-17) scored just six points in the first half of play, putting themselves out of contention almost from the opening tip.

Northeast put up 31 points in the first half to open up a 25 point gap, largely behind the performances of Ashley Hassett (12 points) and Yiesha Williams (11 points). The Hawks used relentless defense to force 15 first-half turnovers from the Tigers, who only hit three shots in the first 20 minutes of play.

Eva Zaragoza scored a team-high nine points in her final game for the Tigers. Genet Mebratu and Carolina Rodriguez-Sanchez scored six points apiece. MCC was only outscored 34-29 in the second half — but the poor first half rendered the promising second-half pointless.

Tigers fall short in second half to Southeastern

WEST BURLINGTON — After a 7-1 start to the season and strong play early on, the Marshalltown Community College men’s basketball season ended with a loss that encapsulated the team’s uneven performances throughout the second half of the season. The Tigers led 40-37 at the half, but Southeastern pulled out at 69-61 victory Saturday night in the first round of NJCAA Region XI tournament play.

The Tigers (9-10) shot 44 percent from the floor and were led by David Roberts Jr. with 15 points and Nuha Sagnia with 10.

MCC led at the half thanks to its strong offense, but in the second half Southeastern improved defensively. The Tigers were unable to get runs going, and the Blackhawks used a balanced attack on the offensive end to take control of proceedings late in the game. Southeastern had four double-digit scorers — Gavin Kies with 18, Jesiah West with 17 and Nariq Chisholm and Camryn Weston with 13 each.

Southeastern (17-6) moved to 3-0 against the Tigers this season.