COLLEGE BASKETBALL: NJCAA TOURNAMENT ACTION FROM LAST NIGHT

* NJCAA1 ELITE EIGHT * 

VINI VEDI VINCENNES – I know, that’s a lame joke, but what can I tell you? In the NJCAA Division One tournament the 5th seeded VINCENNES UNIVERSITY TRAILBLAZERS played the unlucky 13th seeded HOWARD COLLEGE (TX) HAWKS. Yes, it was a non- NBA Trailblazers vs Hawks matchup. The Hawks were hot in the 1st half and by the break had compiled a 37-29 lead. With a trip to the Final Four on the line the Trailblazers dug deep and made a comeback in the 2nd half. The final score in this memorable affair was Trailblazers  70 Hawks  65.   

THE TOP SEED TAKES A FALL – The IOWA WESTERN REIVERS came into the tournament as the 1 seed and made it to the Elite Eight, where they ran into the 9th seeded NW FLORIDA STATE RAIDERS. This may well have been the game of the tournament so far. The Raiders matched the Reivers blow for blow throughout the 1st half and held a slender 37-36 lead at halftime. In the 2nd half the level of play remained high for both squads and the Reivers wound up tying the score at 72 apiece to force Overtime. In the extra session Northwest Florida State pulled away slightly and emerged with an 87-81 victory.  

THIRTY- FOUR AND OOOOHHHH – The 2nd seeded SPARTANBURG METHODIST COLLEGE PIONEERS remained the ONLY undefeated team in the tourney last night. The 7 seeds, the EAST GEORGIA STATE COLLEGE BOBCATS, were their latest opponents. 39-32 in favor of the Pioneers was the score by the half and the Bobcats fought hard in the 2nd half, even matching the offensive output of the SMC juggernaut (Why are there no teams called Juggernauts?), but in the end the Pioneers moved on to the NJCAA Division One Final Four with a 75-68 victory. SMC is now 34-0.    

THREE VERSUS SIX – The 3 seed versus 6 seed matchup lacked a little of the drama of the other three games yesterday. The 3rd seeded COLLEGE OF CENTRAL FLORIDA PATRIOTS squared off against the 6th seeded CENTRAL ARIZONA COLLEGE VAQUEROS for the last available berth in the Final Four. The Vaqueros seemed in control, only to watch helplessly as a 37-32 halftime lead melted away in the 2nd half under unrelenting offensive pressure from CCF. In the end the Patriots wound up advancing with a final score of 81-68.

* NJCAA2 ELITE EIGHT *

THE TWO SEED TAKES A FALL – The remaining two games of the Elite Eight in Division Two of the NJCAA were played last night. The 2nd seeded MONROE TRIBUNES battled the 7th seeded MORAINE VALLEY COLLEGE CYCLONES for the first of the two remaining slots in NJCAA2’s Final Four. MVC proved they could handle adversity as well as ever and, despite trailing 38-29 at the break, redoubled their efforts in the 2nd half. When all was said and done the Cylones emerged with a tight 74-72 win in this game for the ages.  

HOW NOW, BROWN MACKIE? – Yes, that’s a lame reference to the old elocution exercise of pronouncing “How now, brown cow?” At any rate the 6th seeded BROWN MACKIE COLLEGE LIONS faced the unseeded but streaking MCC- PENN VALLEY SCOUTS in a battle royal. Though the bench of the Scouts outscored the bench of the Lions  31-8 that was about the only stat in which MCC- Penn Valley outperformed Brown Mackie College. A 37-33 halftime lead for the Lions expanded in the 2nd half, resulting in a final score of 77-67 and a trip to the Final Four for BMC.