News
SIDNEY — In a game where a win or loss didn’t matter in the standings, it was still important for the Montcalm Community College Centurions men’s basketball team to keep momentum going as it went into its last regular season game.
The Centurions closed out a successful regular season, earning a road win, 74-58, against Kirtland Community College, Tuesday, Feb. 24. With a third seed spot clinched in NJCAA’s postseason tournament, MCC’s second appearance in its second year as a program, the Centurions will now prepare for their first-round battle with Delta College in the NJCAA’s Great Lakes District A Tournament, which will be held at home, Tuesday, March 3.
The goal against the Firebirds, said MCC assistant coach Asher Vissman, was to stay sharp and keep the momentum going for the team as it heads into postseason play.
“It was an important game. We were emphasizing to keep momentum going into the tourney,” he said.
Now, he added, the team can put all its undivided attention to its next game.
“It’s important to stay focused. All of our attention now is on Delta,” he said. “We’ve played them twice. It all comes down to execution.”
The two teams split the series this season. MCC won the first matchup, 70-64, at home, Jan. 28, but Delta secured a buzzer-beating 79-78 win in their last matchup at Delta, Feb. 18.
MCC finished the regular season 9-5 in the MCCAA North and finished the regular season at 16-12 overall while fourth-place Delta finished 7-7 in the conference and is 10-15 overall.
Against Kirtland (6-8 MCCAA Northern, 7-19 overall), which clinched the fifth and last seed in the conference to qualify for postseason play, MCC built a 20-point lead after leading 33-25 at halftime and kept the Firebirds at arm’s length from there. Vissman said the Firebirds were never threatening to take over the lead throughout the game.
“We played really well,” Vissman said.
The Centurions shot better than 50% from the field, shooting 29-for-56 (51.8%) to Kirtland’s 37.3% (22-of-59) and bested the Firebirds in 3-pointers (by two), rebounds (28-25), and assists (23-8).
MCC was led by sophomore Dawson Dunn (Big Rapids, Mich.), who finished with a game-high 22 points.
“This win means a lot,” Dunn said. “The Kirtland game acted as a pre-test. The main focus now is just trying to stay true to our rules and game style, play the way we have since camp.”
Dunn said the key to MCC’s win against Kirtland was sound defense.
“We made everything tough on the defensive end and rebounded the ball well,” he said.
As for his good shooting night, Dunn said he had to adjust his shooting approach after first half, which proved successful.
“When my shot wasn’t falling in the first half, I started seeking layups and never really stopped,” he said.
Coming off the bench, freshman Jahmere Evans (Indianapolis, Ind.) contributed 18 points in the win. Vissman said both Evans and Dunn were exceptional in this game.
“Dawson and Jahmere were fantastic,” Vissman said. “They’ve been consistent scorers all season long. It’s good to have that confidence in the postseason.”
Freshman James Browning (Fort Wayne, Ind.) led the team with eight rebounds while also scoring six points. Sophomore Mason Dunn (Big Rapids, Mich.) had a team-high six assists.
UP NEXT: The Centurions will host Delta at home Tuesday, March 3, with tip-off at 7 p.m. The winner will move on to play District A #1 seed Kalamazoo Valley Community College (11-3 MCCAA Western, 20-10 overall) at Mott Community College in Flint, Thursday, March 5.