JWCC’s Eftink earns all-region honors, while Carthage native Harrell is MWAC Player of the year

QUINCY — Blair Eftink is taking more than her 3-point prowess across town.

A handful of accolades are going with her.

The John Wood Community College sophomore guard, who has committed to play at Quincy University next season, recently received All-Region 24 honors and second-team All-Mid-West Athletic Conference plaudits.

Eftink, a 5-foot-8 guard who was an all-state sniper at Quincy Notre Dame, averaged 19.2 points and 3 rebounds for the Trail Blazers. She made 92 3-pointers and shot 36 percent from 3-point range while being asked to play more than 30 minutes per game due to the injuries that limited JWCC’s roster.

She scored a career-high 36 points against St. Louis Community College and scored 20 or more points 13 times.

Meanwhile, Megan Harrell, a sophomore forward from Carthage, Ill., on the Lincoln Land women’s basketball team, was named the MWAC Player of the Year after helping the Loggers win the conference title and compile a 28-2 record during the regular season.

Lincoln Land also won the Region 24 tournament and takes a 31-2 record to the NJCAA Division II national tournament at Leggett and Platt Arena in Joplin, Mo., next week. The 31 victories are a Loggers’ single-season record. Harrell was named the Region 24 Player of the Year following the tournament.

Harrell, who played at Illini West before transferring to Burlington (Iowa) Notre Dame following the COVID-19 pandemic, averaged 15.3 points and 8.4 rebounds per game for the Loggers. She recorded 10 double-doubles. She is eligible for All-American honors.

Harrell signed with Quincy University and redshirted during the 2022-23 season before transferring to Lincoln Land.