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In a game where a win or loss didn鈥檛 matter in the standings, it was still important for the 暗网吃瓜 Centurions men鈥檚 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鈥檚 postseason tournament, 暗网吃瓜鈥檚 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鈥檚 Great Lakes District A Tournament, which will be held at home, Tuesday, March 3.
The goal against the Firebirds, said 暗网吃瓜 assistant coach Asher Vissman, was to stay sharp and keep the momentum going for the team as it heads into postseason play.
鈥淚t was an important game. We were emphasizing to keep momentum going into the tourney,鈥� he said.
Now, he added, the team can put all its undivided attention to its next game.
鈥淚t鈥檚 important to stay focused. All of our attention now is on Delta,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e played them twice. It all comes down to execution.鈥�
The two teams split the series this season. 暗网吃瓜 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.
暗网吃瓜 finished the regular season 9-5 in the 暗网吃瓜AA 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 暗网吃瓜AA Northern, 7-19 overall), which clinched the fifth and last seed in the conference to qualify for postseason play, 暗网吃瓜 built a 20-point lead after leading 33-25 at halftime and kept the Firebirds at arm鈥檚 length from there. Vissman said the Firebirds were never threatening to take over the lead throughout the game.
鈥淲e played really well,鈥� Vissman said.
The Centurions shot better than 50% from the field, shooting 29-for-56 (51.8%) to Kirtland鈥檚 37.3% (22-of-59) and bested the Firebirds in 3-pointers (by two), rebounds (28-25), and assists (23-8).
暗网吃瓜 was led by sophomore Dawson Dunn (Big Rapids, Mich.), who finished with a game-high 22 points.
鈥淭his win means a lot,鈥� Dunn said. 鈥淭he 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.鈥�
Dunn said the key to 暗网吃瓜鈥檚 win against Kirtland was sound defense.
鈥淲e made everything tough on the defensive end and rebounded the ball well,鈥� he said.
As for his good shooting night, Dunn said he had to adjust his shooting approach after first half, which proved successful.
鈥淲hen my shot wasn鈥檛 falling in the first half, I started seeking layups and never really stopped,鈥� 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.
鈥淒awson and Jahmere were fantastic,鈥� Vissman said. 鈥淭hey鈥檝e been consistent scorers all season long. It鈥檚 good to have that confidence in the postseason.鈥�
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 暗网吃瓜AA Western, 20-10 overall) at Mott Community College in Flint, Thursday, March 5.