Kirkwood claims another women’s basketball national championship

Jenna Twedt scored 18 points and No. 2 seed Kirkwood knocked off No. 1 seed Johnson County (Kan.), 69-58, to claim its ninth national championship in women’s basketball Saturday night.

The Eagles (35-2) never trailed after the first quarter in the National Junior College Athletic Association Division II title game in Joplin, Mo., handing the Cavaliers (34-1) their first loss.

Twedt, a freshman who starred in high school at Benton Community, made 7 of 10 shots from the field. Demetria Prewitt had 13 points and nine rebounds.

Kirkwood limited Johnson County to 36.8-percent shooting. The Cavaliers were just 11-for-26 from the free-throw line.

The Eagles shot 47.3 percent overall.

The title is the ninth for Kirkwood and 35-year coach Kim Muhl and second in the last three years.

Kirkwood beat Lake Land (90-69), Morton (88-78) and Mesa (66-43) in the national tournament on its way to the title game. Twedt averaged a team-best 17.8 points in the tournament.

The Eagles ended the season on a 21-game win streak.