The district champion CCRI women’s basketball team made the trip to the NJCAA National Tournament as the No. 10 seed and fell to No. 7 Minnesota West Technical and Community College 67-55.

Despite holding a lead late in the second quarter and entering halftime tied 30-30, the Lady Knights would lose steam down the stretch as the Jays would roll the rest of the way to take control of the game.

Elizabeth Bruno led CCRI with 20 points, five rebounds and three steals. Michelle Moreno added a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds while Chloe Rayko finished with 12 points scored.

CCRI would rebound in the consolation bracket, beating Rock Valley 61-46 to wrap up the year with a 17-7 overall record.

Rayko led the way with 22 points while Bruno scored 16 and Maggie Schwab 11 to go along with her eight rebounds. Cranston product Talia Thibodeau scored four points off the bench.

“I thought we ended up with a terrific year. I thought the girls came along from the beginning of the season, finished strong and made it to nationals. That was one of our goals. It was a success. The boys program has always been strong, the girls had a strong program when people like Kate Lynch were there, but then there was a decline in the women’s program playing in Division II. Once we moved back to Division III it made it an even playing field,” said CCRI coach Doug Haynes.

The Lady Knights enjoyed one of the best seasons in program history, winning the district championship and seeing all five starters named to the All-District team.

“I thought maybe one or two would get first or second team, but not all five. That accomplishment is on them. They worked hard and the coaches throughout the league felt that way which is tremendous,” said Haynes.

CCRI is set to return nearly its entire core next season as it expects to bring back four starters and three bench pieces. Haynes hopes that the returning girls will use this experience to their advantage next winter.

“We learned not to take it for granted because I think once we got there, we were a little more relaxed and it was more like a vacation instead of going up there to try to win a national championship. I think once they saw the competition they realized that if we played our best, then we could have been at least a final four contender. They learned, they gained that experience which is good,” Haynes said. “Considering we are returning four starters, we’re hoping that we can plug someone into the fifth spot and the train keeps rolling. We are looking to strengthen our bench. We have a couple of transfers, a few more Rhode Island kids that we have been looking at, we should be in good shape.”

The lone starter that has yet to make a decision is Schwab. Although Haynes is still hoping she returns, he feels that the team has the depth and talent to make due should she move on.

“Maggie has been a quiet leader for us. She has been the most consistent basketball player that we’ve had all year long,” said Haynes. “Right now, we’re looking at Taylor Enright, she definitely can fill the role, she can stretch the defense out with her outside shooting and she has a strong post game. We would love to have Maggie back playing with us because her and Ashley Lima, their rebounding has been tremendous.”