The MCC men’s basketball team fell behind early and couldn’t complete the comeback, falling 75-62 to Johnson County CC in the second round of the NJCAA Division II national tournament Thursday.
The Tribunes (29-6) now head to the consolation bracket, where they will take on either Delaware Tech or Phoenix College at 2 p.m. EDT Friday. The Cavaliers (24-9) advance to Friday’s semifinal.
Johnson County took control early, racing to a 27-9 lead midway through the first half. MCC fought back on the strength of three 3-pointers by Jashon Mixon and trailed 41-33 at the break.
The Cavaliers had another quick start in the second half, scoring the first six to restore a 14-point lead. MCC stayed tough, however, going on a 15-6 run to close to 55-53 after a layup by Jeron Belin with just over nine minutes left.
Johnson County responded with a 3-pointer and another basket before Raheem Singleton hit two free throws and Belin scored again to make it 60-57 with 5:42 remaining. That would be as close as the Tribunes would get the rest of the way.
The Cavs forced a flurry of Monroe turnovers and hit eight straight free throws over the last 1:58 to seal the victory and dash MCC’s hopes of a first national title.
Mark Lake Jr. led MCC with 14 points while Kareem Brown added 13. Singleton finished with nine points and five assists, Mixon had nine, and Belin scored eight.
Kenny Moore led four Johnson County players in double figures with 19.
Tom Garigen
Athletics
03/20/2009 |