Lady T-Birds face Salt Lake Community College in first-round tournament play

The Casper College Lady T-Birds are heading to the 2025 NJCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship, held from March 25 through April 1 at the Ford Wyoming Events Center. The national tournament, which Casper is hosting for its second and final year, will feature the top 24 DI teams in the nation.

The Lady Thunderbirds won the Region 9 Northwest Plains Basketball Tournament for the fourth time in a row by beating the Western Wyoming Community College Lady Mustangs 67-55 on Saturday, March 15. The T-Birds have been to the national tournament 7 times out of the last eight years.

The T-Birds will take their 27-6 record and begin play in the first round of tournament action against the Region 18 winners, the Salt Lake Community College Lady Bruins (21-10), on Tuesday, March 25, at 12:15 p.m. “Salt Lake CC is a very good team and have been playing their best basketball in the later part of the season,” said Dwight Gunnare, T-Bird head coach. According to Gunnare, the Bruins have good size and athleticism, are very balanced offensively, and are aggressive defensively. “It will take a great effort on our part to advance to the second round, which is 100% to be expected when you are playing the best teams in the NJCAA,” he noted.

For the tournament, the T-Birds are ranked No. 15, while the Bruins are ranked No. 18. The winner of that game will then play the No. 2 ranked Wabash Valley College Lady Warriors.

The Lady Warriors won the Region 24 tournament on March 13, beating Southwestern Illinois College 84-41 and will bring a 30-2 record to the national tournament. Wabash Valley College is located in Mount Carmel, Illinois. That game will occur on Thursday, March 27, at 12:15 p.m.

Basketball fans will be treated to 22 games in total during the tournament. Single-day and all event tickets are available here. Official live statistics and box scores will be available through the NJCAA.