March and all the madness that accompanies it are coming to a close. We’ll wrap up all the insanity from a Bronx perspective, starting with a team of ladies representing the Bronx once again cutting down the nets as national champions.

Despite a nearly complete roster overhaul and the loss of their starting point guard on the eve of the season’s biggest tournament, the Monroe College Lady Mustangs repeated as National Junior College Athletic Association Division II national champions with a 78-73 victory over Lake Michigan in Peoria, Ill.

Alvah Parham, the only Lady Mustang returning from last year’s championship team, hit two clutch free throws to put Monroe in the lead for good after Lake Michigan had stormed back from an 18-point second half deficit to take a 71-70 lead with 2:24 left in the game.

Parham finished with 22 points and six rebounds and Jasmine Mcroy contributed 21 points and six rebounds. But it was Kashay Barnes who stole the show and tournament MVP honors after dropping 26 points and eight assists on Lake Michigan.

After losing in the Regional Final, Monroe came into the tournament seeded ninth and a long-shot to repeat last year’s title run. With a completely new roster aside from Parham and significant injuries that led to an uneven season, the Lady Mustangs were forced to dig deep this postseason. But Coach James Robinson Jr. credited the team’s belief in itself.

“We had many things happen to us this year that might have made some people think we couldn’t do this,” said Coach James Robinson Jr., who was awarded coach of the tournament, receiving her award from its namesake, Lorene Ramsey, a women’s basketball coaching legend. “Maybe most significant was when our point guard tore her ACL right before the Nationals. But this championship is about the power of belief, belief in yourself and belief in your teammates. Our players worked as hard as they could to make ths happen and they deserve this title and all the aooclades they get.”

In other Bronx basketball news:

— The Monroe College men’s team fell short in its national tournament, but finished with an impressive 79-50 win over Columbia State, good for fifth place.

Monroe coach Jeff Brustad acknowledge the team’s disappointment, but put the bigger picture into perspective.

“Our great sophomores have concluded their careers with a 64-9 overall record and a 6-2 record in the national tournament,” Brustad said. “You can’t do much better than that. Though we came here to win four games and we only won three, after a little bit of time passes and they move on to bigger and better things, i’m sure they will realize how special it was for them to be Monroe Mustangs.”

— The Mott Haven Campus boys team’s incredible season ended in a disappointment as they fell to Brooklyn Collegiate in the PSAL Division A championship game.

— The St. Raymond’s boys team lost in the State Federation AA semifinals to eventual champion, Boys & Girls.

— In the final NY Post NYC AA boys basketball rankings, St. Ray’s finished second. Other Bronx teams on the list included: Cardinal Hayes (5), Wings (6) and Mt. St. Michael (8). Mott Haven (5th) was the only Bronx team finishing in the non-AA NYC boys rankings. No Bronx girls teams finished in the top 10 rankings. (We’ll update with MSG Varsity rankings when they come out later today.)

— The Manhattan College hoop teams both made it into the postseason.

— The men lost two Sundays ago to fellow MAAC team Fairfield, 69-57, in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament. Coach Steve Masiello talks about the loss in the video below:

— Meanwhile, the women’s team lost to Minnesota, 67-54, in the Women’s Basketball Invitation semifinals last Friday.

Ed. note: Coming Thursday afternoon, April 4: our Bronx baseball preview.