Harcum women’s basketball has sights set on capturing its first national title

The Harcum women’s basketball team made history last winter as they reached the National Junior College Athletic Association Division II Final Four for the first time.

Some of the pieces are different this year, but the Bears are heading back to the tournament for the second consecutive year with eyes set on capturing a title.

“From Day 1, we’ve been talking about competing for a national championship,” said head coach Riley Maye. “This team definitely has the pieces to do it.”

The No. 10 seeded Harcum will face No. 7 Morton College of Cicero, Ill., on Tuesday in Joplin, Mo.

This year has been another special season at Harcum (26-5), who entered the postseason ranked No. 12 nationally.

The Bears knocked off the No. 1 team in the country in Community College of Baltimore County Essex on Nov. 8. They lost one home game this season and reached another Region 19 championship game while also winning its second straight East District B Championship with a 44-42 win over Sullivan County Community College — a victory that secured the team’s spot at nationals.

This is Harcum’s fourth national tournament appearance since the program debuted in 2004-05. The Bears first made an appearance in 2011, they returned seven years later in 2018, and after a four-year absence, got back there in 2023.

“We’ve had tunnel vision, so we’ve kind of had to slow down and smell the roses a little bit,” Maye said. “I want them to be able to enjoy this experience, not just be so locked into winning a national championship that we don’t recognize some of the successes that we’ve had.”

Sophomores T’Nyah Riggins, Mikaela Parris, Ayneigejah Ferguson-Dugas, and Ellie Janssen-Holton were key returner, and each have seen their roles expand in different ways.

Parris, a 5-foot-9 wing from Canada, is second on the team in scoring (10.5 points) and rebounding (4.4 rebounds). Janssen-Holton (8.7 points) and Ferguson-Dugas (8.1 points) are third and fourth on the team. Riggins leads the team in assists (3.7).

“Those kids all had really good experiences last year going to nationals,” Maye said. “They all had pretty big moments at nationals as well, so I’m hoping that experience helps us next week.”

Newcomer Ciara Bailey, a 6-foot-2 center from Bristol, Pa., has been a standout for the team. The redshirt-sophomore started her career at Towson. She leads the Bears in scoring (12.1) and rebounding (7.8). Bailey also ranks 12th nationally in blocks (2.6).

Coatesville product Dejah Morris, Penn Charter graduate Kelsey Bess, and former Life Center Academy guard Camryn Graham, a Chester native, have been impact players as freshmen.

Last season, the Bears played through Amaris Baker, who is now at Drexel and led the country in scoring at Harcum. This season, Maye said, it’s more of a balanced group. The fourth year head coach will play as many as 13 to 14 players.

“Not too many teams get to do that,” Maye said. “That’s definitely been a positive for us. We’ve had kids who have been our quote on quote last kid come in and be the best player on a given day. It’s nice that we kind of have that depth.”

The team ranks eighth nationally in scoring (83.5 points) and fourth in scoring defense (49.5 points). Recently, Maye’s been impressed by his team’s defense, holding their last five opponents under 60 points.

» READ MORE: Amaris Baker’s winding college hoops road led her to Harcum College, where she became the nation’s leading scorer

“Our kids have steadily gotten better throughout the year,” Maye said. “We’re peaking defensively right now. We got to figure some things out on offense to get them going into next week, but we’ve been playing really well defensively.”

In the offseason, five players transferred to four-year universities, including first team All-American Baker, Jasmyn Jefferies (Claflin University), Aniyah Bond (Wilmington University), Marcy Brackett (St. Thomas University), and Sara Aumer (Coker University).

Along with some hardware, the Bears hope to get some attention from college programs during their trip to Joplin. Last season, there were at least 15 college coaches at the tournament.

“This is a great opportunity,” Maye said. “That’s one reason we push to get to nationals so hard because if you have a great game in front of the right set of eyes, it could change your life. You could be going to school for free.”

This story was produced as part of a partnership between The Inquirer and City of Basketball Love, a nonprofit news organization that covers high school and college basketball in the Philadelphia area while also helping mentor the next generation of sportswriters. This collaboration will help boost coverage of the city’s vibrant amateur basketball scene, from the high school ranks up through the Big 5 and beyond.