Chaps fall short in championship game
Issue date: 4/17/09 Section: News
|
Staff Reporters
"I've never been more proud of a team that I've ever coached," said Midland College head basketball coach, Grant McCasland.
The Chaps advanced to the championship game of the national tournament and played last year's second-place team, Salt Lake (Utah) Community College (SLCC).
It took an unbelievable comeback to deny the Chaps its third NJCAA national championship, according to Oscar LeRoy, sports writer for the Midland Reporter-Telegram.
In the finals on March 21, the Chaparrals held a 34-25 lead at the break while shooting 48 percent from the floor and 75 percent from the free throw line. SLCC recorded 44 percent and 67 percent respectively in the same statistical categories, according to Forrest Allen, MC athletic director.
MC guards Adrian Van Buren (6'1") and Garrett Lever (6'0") combined for a remarkable defensive effort on the Bruin's leading scorer 6'7" DJ Wright. Wright averaged 18 points and 10 rebounds during the regular season, however, in the national tournament his averages increased to 21 points and 11 rebounds including a 34-point and 14 rebound outburst in the semis, Allen said.
At the start of the second half, MC seemed to seize control, scoring on two three-pointers by Greg Hill. However, the Chaps steady shooting went cool for a lengthy period. That spell allowed the Bruins to switch the momentum of the game and gain in confidence. SLCC outscored MC 42-26 over the second half due to the Chaps 27 percent shooting and a free throw percentage of 20 percent over the final 20 minutes, according to Allen.
No. 13 SLCC came back from the deficit with about 11 minutes to play to stun the Chaparrals and their fans with a 67-60 win on Saturday, March 21.
"They really were a more aggressive team. I didn't keep our team as aggressive as I should have," McCasland said.
MC President Steve Thomas said, "I thought we were going to win, but those last 10 minutes were really tough, and we couldn't pull it out."
MC basketball team member Kavon Lynch said, "We did great, but we could have done better, at least we made it this far."
Be the first to comment on this story