Perfect storm of talent leads to Moraine Valley women’s basketball championships and a run at nationals

Before the Moraine Valley Community College women’s basketball season even began, Head Coach Delwyn Jones knew his team would be good. He saw the makings of a conference and region championship – and he was right.

Every summer leading up to the fall semester, the Cyclones women’s basketball team holds practices and training for potential and recruited players. During summer 2025, Jones saw what was to come.

“The summer league wasn’t as productive as I would’ve liked, but I saw the ingredients to make a region championship. It just had to be molded and made into a cohesive team. That’s where my mind was in June – that we were probably going to win the conference and region,” said Jones, who just culminated his 26^th year leading the program.

With proficient sophomores – Jadea Johnson (Romeoville), Shakila Brownlow (Bremen), Lily Hernandez (Reavis) and Isabel Lopez (Reavis) – and the acquisition of some skilled players who could rebound and control the paint – transfer Mikayla Summey (Andrew) and freshmen Trajany Walker (Naperville North) and Kyziah Lewis (Evergreen Park) – Jones saw potential. Last season, Johnson and Brownlow had to play outside of their normal forward positions and move under the basket. Additional players this season helped change the court dynamic.

“Now, our two best players were not out of position and physically fighting under the basket. It allowed us to open up and run the floor on fast breaks because now, we had rebounders. And we scored a lot on fast breaks,” Jones explained.

He also knew incoming freshmen talent, including Danielle Dempsey (Oak Lawn), along with transfer point guard Laila Houseworth (Romeoville), would add to the team’s strengths.

That combination accounted for the Cyclones’ overall 30-6 record – 13-1 in the Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference – along with a conference and NJCAA Region 4 championship. Their run concluded at the NJCAA Division II Women’s Basketball Championship, where they finished seventh.

“We gave everything we had and played well. The team did what I asked, even if we lost, we kept swinging,” Jones boasted. “I’m very proud of their efforts at nationals.”

This season, the squad was nationally ranked as high as No. 20 and often had top 10 team stats. They finished No. 4 in points (3,024), No. 4 in field goal total attempts (1,143-2,647), No. 5 in free-throw total attempts (508-777), No. 8 in points per game (84), No. 9 in assists per game (19) and No. 10 in field goals made per game (31.8). Prior to nationals, the Cyclones averaged 86 points per game.

The Cyclones started the season facing nationally ranked teams, keeping on pace before their 21-game win streak.

“We had some close games with adversity, and we found a way to win, showing how good our defense was,” Jones said. “Although we scored a lot, many teams didn’t know our defense like that. I felt good going into the region playoffs because I knew our defense was the core, and we could rebound both ends of the court. We played hard.”

Leading the way for her second year was Johnson, who racked up Conference Player of the Year, Region 4 Midwest District A Player of the Year and was named to the NJCAA Division II All-America First Team. She also became the second leading scorer in Cyclones history with 1,376 points over two years. She ended the season nationally ranked No. 1 in total points (730), No. 3 for field goals (269-615) and No. 4 for free throws (160-220).

Brownlow earned All-Conference and All-Region first team while Walker was named to the All-Conference first team. Houseworth earned All-Conference second team and All-Region first team honors as well as tied the Cyclones record for most assists in a season (167). Hernandez and Summey ended with All-Conference honorable mention.

Not only did the Cyclones have high basketball IQ, but they also did well in the classroom and had integrity.

“I knew we had a high basketball IQ, but we also had a high team GPA. Smart players are more consistent, so we had an advantage with character, IQ and the icing on the cake was the GPA,” Jones noted. “I’m going to miss this team, not just for their talent but for their character.”

The Cyclones bid farewell to eight sophomores but have a solid core of returning players and incoming prospects. Jones could not help but boast of the 2025-26 team’s collective contributions to such a successful season. “It was a combo of everyone we had on the team. Take one out, and do we have the same season? No.”

For updates on Cyclones Athletics, visit mvcyclones.com.