The Georgia Northwestern Lady Bobcats fought back from a 17-point deficit in the second half in Sunday’s NJCAA Region XVII championship game in Warner Robins, but two points would be as close as they would ultimately get as the Middle Georgia Tech Lady Titans claimed the region’s national tournament bid with a 64-58 victory.

GNTC earned a shot at a second straight national tournament berth by pounding Southern Crescent Tech, 81-25, in a semifinal game on Saturday.

The nation’s eighth-leading rebounder, Odessa Person, grabbed 19 more boards to go with 13 points in the win. Terika Mostella added 12 points and 13 rebounds in the win, while the Lady Bobcats held the Lady Tigers to just 16 percent shooting and outrebounded them, 67-39.

But after defeating Middle Georgia Tech twice in the regular season, the Lady Bobcats could not find the magic a third time.

The Lady Titans (10-19, 4-4), who upset No. 2 seed West Georgia Tech in the semifinals, 62-59, took advantage of a poor shooting day from GNTC. The Lady Bobcats (14-11, 6-2) connected on just 25 percent from the field and 47 percent from the free throw line in the loss.

Down 44-27 in the second half, the Lady Bobcats sliced the deficit to 59-57 with 2:25 to play, but three consecutive missed shots would spell doom as they were forced to foul at the end of the game.

Middle Georgia Tech’s Ashley West, the two-time Region XVII Player of the Year, would lead the Lady Titans with 13 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists, while Tynisha Walton would make her presence felt with 13 points and 23 rebounds on the day.

Person would grab 13 more rebounds for GNTC, while adding nine points and collecting three steals. Kiarra Parks, Sierra Smith, and Alyssa Nichelson had 13, 12, and 11 points, respectively, in the tourney final.

“It was an incredibly physical game today and they just let these teams play,” said GNTC head coach Jim Williams. “Odessa and this entire team simply played their hearts out. She has an incredible shot to play at a four-year program next year.

GNTC is expected to return six players from this year’s roster.

“This team is returning a lot of talented freshmen next season,” added Williams. “We are returning most of our starters and a ton of subs. The final games for (Emily) Cole and Person, though, are bittersweet. They’ve been vital to our success this year, but we are looking forward to what next season will bring.”