By Christina Easter
The Cuyahoga Community College Women’s Basketball team ended the season 18-8 which helped secure top honors in the Ohio Community College Athletic Association including coach of the year for head coach Dion Griffin. Griffin admitted at the beginning of the season that he didn’t know what to expect of his team after inserting eight freshmen in the starting line-up.
But first year player La’Nia Moore turned out to be a major factor in the team’s success. Her rebounding and all around effort all season earned her OCCAC Player of the Year, Playmaker of the Year and First Team All American.
Freshman point guard Syair Young was named OCCAC Second Team All-American after averaging 15.4 points a game and making 63-173 three point field goals attempts.
“It was a remarkable season from beginning to end,” said Griffin. “I am very proud of these young ladies for what we accomplished.”
The Lady Tops averaged 72.5 points off of 27.5 field goals made per game. They finished in second place in field goal percentage making 69.6 percent of their shot attempts. The Lady Tops also made 5.7 three-point field goals made per game.
Moore’s dominance on the boards was felt all season. She averaged 13.5 rebounds per game and finished first overall in total rebounds (351) and first in the OCCAC (162). Moore was dominated in scoring. She led the team in scoring, averaging 18.1 points per game while shooting 53-percent from the field.
“La’Nia is a super, ultimate freshman,” said Griffin. “She came in and lit a fire under the program. She didn’t stop and gave us everything she has night-in and night-out in games, practice and overall.”
The Lady Tops started the season 8-0 but adversity set in as four players were lost halfway through the season. Nevertheless, they persevered and finished strong.
“For me, our resiliency stuck out this season because after losing four girls our players continued to work hard, stay grounded and focused,” said Griffin.
With the end of this season also comes the end of sophomore guard Jayleena Bauzo’s basketball career as a Triceratops. Bauzo is the first player Griffin recruited after being selected as head coach.
“Coach recruited me and said I could be a leader on this team which is what I tried to do,” said Bauzo. “During my time at Tri-C I learned to be patient and that defense is the key to everything.”
“She stuck through the tough times,” said Griffin. “Last year when we went 10 and 16, she never quit or stopped working. She came back and helped earn us the conference championship.”
This is the second time that Griffin and assistant coach Jasmin Frierson have led the Lady Tops to a winning season since they took over in 2023. This is also the second time that Griffin has been named coach of the year. The first came at the end of the 2023-2024 season after he and Frierson were named co-coaches of the year.
Click here for more information about Tri-C Women’s Basketball or to watch select games visit https://athletics.tri-c.edu/sports/wbkb/2025-26/schedule.
