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The Montcalm Community College Centurions men’s basketball team’s historic season ended with a 78-61 loss to Kalamazoo Community College during the Great Lakes District A semifinal game at Mott Community College in Flint, Thursday, March 5. 

In only its second season after reviving the program from a 40-year hiatus, the Centurions (9-5 MCCAA Northern, 17-13 overall) qualified for the tournament and won its first postseason game, a close 78-77 win against Delta College at home Tuesday, March 3.  

Up against Kalamazoo Valley (11-3 MCCAA Western, 21-11 overall), MCC found itself in a 42-27 hole at halftime, with the Cougars shooting a hot 48.3% from the field while MCC struggled, shooting 34.3%.  

In the second half, MCC head coach Zach Ingles’ strategy was to just chip away at the Cougars’ lead to get back into the game. 

“To our credit, our guys got it down to eight,” Ingles said. “Kalamazoo was really physical. They’re similar to Bay College. But I thought we guarded them well. We just didn’t shoot great.” 

Throughout the second half, the Centurions were unable to cut any further into the Cougars’ lead, much of it due to MCC falling into foul trouble. Overall, Kalamazoo Valley enjoyed a large advantage at the free throw line, shooting 23-of-29 (79.3%) at the line compared to MCC’s mere 6-of-13 (46.2%) shooting from the free throw line.  

“They kept us at bay with the foul shots,” Ingles said. 

Sophomore Dawson Dunn (Big Rapids, Mich.) said poor shooting gave the Cougars confidence in their own shooting and they never relented. 

“Early on, we missed a few shots and allowed them to go on a little run and basically kept it the whole game,” Dunn said. “We could’ve made more shots, that would’ve made a difference.” 

Two key players for MCC, sophomore point guard Zhian Briggs (Augusta, Ga.) and Mason Dunn (Big Rapids, Mich.) got into foul trouble in the second half, hampering the Centurions’ offense down the stretch. 

This was the first time MCC had faced KVCC and Ingles added his team only had 48 hours to examine the film on the Cougars, which is typical turnaround time for postseason play. 

“We liked the matchup. We weren’t scared,” Ingles said. “But once the game started, we realized how much Delta wore us out in the previous game. About seven to eight minutes into the game, I told my assistants right then that our guys were noticeably tired.” 

The Centurions had fallen behind 23-13 at that point. 

To be expected, the Centurions had come off perhaps its most emotional win of the season with its first playoff game, and getting to host the first playoff game, which were both goals for MCC this season.  

MCC and KVCC were close in most of the statistics, though the Cougars won the rebounding stat, 51-36, and the second-chance points, 11-3. Ingles said despite being down by double digits, he never gave up hope that his players could make a comeback. 

“This group loved each other all year long. I never had a doubt we couldn’t get back in it,” Ingles said. “We wanted the score under eight to put a scare in them. They’re talented and good, one of best programs in the MCCAA in the last 10 years. They won a state title last year. So I liked what we did and how we prepped.” 

Dawson Dunn said his team began playing more like the team he’s known all season in the second half. 

“We were more disciplined on defense and started making some shots in the second half,” he said.  

Dawson Dunn led the team with 12 points while his brother, Mason, finished with 10 rebounds and eight points. Briggs had six points, seven assists and five rebounds to round out MCC’s top leaders. 

The Cougars were led by Matt Swanwick’s 20 points and Josiah King’s 18 points. Both Jaremiah Palmer-Kirtdoll and Gerald Crawford each registered a double-double, finishing with 11 points and 12 rebounds and 14 points and 12 rebounds, respectively.  

Ingles praised his seven sophomores, who helped lay the foundation of success the team experienced this year. He added Dawson Dunn and Briggs were especially good for the team in its playoff run. Ingles said while Dawson Dunn has been good all year and has been the proven leader of the team, Briggs stepped up in a big way, taking over the point after sophomore Taylen Carver (Louisville, Ky.) went down for the season with a leg injury midway through the regular season.  

“Dawson has been good all year and I’m proud of what Zhian was able to do for us,” Ingles said. “We had strength in numbers and there was no change in that. What made it tricky was when Tay went down. But at that point, it was anyone that could step up and get a basket for us. We had all good kids like that.” 

A HISTORIC WIN 

In their second playoff game of its two-year program, at home, Tuesday, March 3, the Centurions earned a win in dramatic fashion. 

After freshman Joel Washington (Gainesville, Fla.) established a six-point lead for MCC with a layup with 8:14 to go in the game, the Delta College Pioneers made a comeback and took the lead, 68-66, when Delta’s Jaylen Carthan nailed a 3-point shot with 4:06 to go.  

The teams traded baskets for the next several minutes. With 42 seconds to go, Delta broke a 75-75 tie with a Sir’real Smith layup, setting up the eventual game-winning 3-point shot by Briggs, who scored it, giving MCC a 78-77 lead with just 34 seconds to go. 

With possession of the ball, the Pioneers dwindled the time down to 14 seconds when Smith finally took a 3-point shot but missed. MCC’s James Browning (Fort Wayne, Ind.) rebounded the ball but turned it over, giving Delta one last chance with 12 seconds to go. 

Pioneers’ Deontrey Gary took a shot with three seconds to go but missed and Briggs rebounded the ball to secure MCC’s win. 

Dawson Dunn said it was a surreal feeling to not only secure the team’s first postseason win, but to do it in front of their home crowd made it extra special. 

“The Delta win was a huge milestone for the program, and to have the community come and show support us, that also meant a lot,” Dawson Dunn said.  

For Ingles, the moment was two years in the making. 

“It was good for the team and good for the program because that was one of our goals, to host a tournament game and advance to Mott,” Ingles said. “To do that against a national leading scorer and team polar opposite of us, not to mention you can’t put into words the crowd that was there. But to hit both goals, it’s a really good feeling. To see it in their reactions when they won, it was heck of college game.” 

The Centurions were led by Briggs with 18 points and six assists, Mason Dunn, who had 10 points and 10 rebounds, Washington, who had 12 points and six rebounds, and freshman Jahmere Evans (Indianapolis, Ind.), who came off the bench to score 10 points. 

The Pioneers were led by Smith, with 18 points and eight rebounds, Dovydas Kacinskas, who scored 12 points off the bench, and Jaylen Carthan, who had eight points, nine rebounds and nine assists.