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Crusader
March 2013
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Jayhawk West Champs
Saints win three back-to-back Jayhawk West conference titles
Saints Athletics/ Roy Allen
The Saints, and coaches Bryan Zollinger and Jason Sautter, cut down the net after winning their game against the Hutchinson Blue Dragons Wednesday night in the Green House. The Saints have now won three consecutive conference titles. Hutchinson was No. 5 in the NJCAA rankings and was tied in the Jayhawk West conference with the Saints, but the Saints were victorious in their match winning 62-60 in the last few seconds.
Dragon slayers: Saints win match against Hutch in final seconds Jose Medrano Editor With only 4.5 seconds on the clock, the Saints scored to take the final lead over Hutchinson’s Blue Dragons 62-60. The win landed the Saints the Jayhawk West Conference title for a third year in a row. At the buzzer, a roar emerged from the crowd and a mass of students and fans stormed the Green House floor. Players celebrated, students jumped and fans cheered as the Saints had once again captured the conference championship. The Saints are the top seeded team in the west in the NJCAA Region VI tournament and will face Colby tonight. The final seconds of the game
were intense. With the score tied and 11 seconds to go, the Saints inbounded the ball. Leslee Smith, with an assist from Malcolm Hill-Bey, and only 4.5 left on the clock, scored the Saints a two-point shot that give them the lead to win the match. “There is no better feeling,” Saints guard Kaheem Ransom said about winning another conference title with the Saints. The Saints have now won the Jayhawk West title five times, with three of those titles coming from the 2011, 2012 and 2013 seasons. Throughout the entire 40 minutes of play, both teams were constantly on each other’s heels. The match started off on a fast
pace but with both teams only scoring two points within the first three minutes of the match. Hutchinson took its first sizeable lead with seven minutes left in the first half 22-17, but a three pointer by Jabari Peters cut the lead 22-20. The Saints and Blue Dragons continued scoring back forth for rest of the first half with steals, three point shots, turnovers and missed shots by the teams. The Blue Dragons lead by five at the end of the first half 29-24. In the first half, Edison Avila lead the Saints in scoring with nine points, Smith had eight, Peters had five and Ransom — who had scored 27 points in a game Tuesday night against Garden City — was held to only two.
The Saints started off the second half with a strong push and took the lead 30-29 only minutes into the half. A dunk by Blue Dragon Alex Davis revived Hutchinson as they went on an eight point run taking a solid lead with a little more than 12 minutes left in the game, 44-36. The Saints didn’t give up and went on their own run with only 8:45 left in the game, 46-44. A back and forth frenzy ensued in the last six minutes with Hutchinson keeping a small lead. “Keeping them off the offensive glass and stopping them in transition,” were critical components in stopping the Blue Dragons, according to Ransom. The Saints were behind by one, with only two minutes on
the clock. A shot from Avila gave the lead to the Saints with 1:50 left on the clock, 57-56. Peters put up a layup and was fouled, giving the Saints a lead of four with only 28 seconds left, 60-56. A two-point shot and a ball stumble caused the game to be tied 60-60 with only 11 seconds left on the clock. Hill-Bey sprinted across the court with the ball, Hutchinson tried to block, but Hill-Bey passed the ball to Smith with five seconds on the clock, Smith went strong to the basket and gave the Saints the game winning shot, 62-60. Saints fans and students stormed the Green House court at the buzzer. Overall the Saints shot 45.3 percent with Avila leading the
Saints by scoring 19 points. Smith had 16 points and seven defensive rebounds. “Not many people have had the luxury of being apart of two championship teams, but I don’t want us to stop here. There are a few goals we still need to accomplish,” said Ransom. Although Ransom only scored seven points, he had a key three in the last five minutes of the game. The Saints are on an 8-0 winning streak and are top seed in the west of the NJCAA Region VI tournament, allowing them to have both of their first tournament games in the Green House. The semifinals and finals will be March 8 and 9 in Park City. For more pictures, go to Facebook.com/CrusaderNews.
NJCAA Region VI Tournament Bracket 2013 First Round
Second Round Semifinals
Finals
Champion Finals
Semifinals Second Round First Round
Seward County
Coffeyville
Colby
Garden City
Independence
Butler
Dodge City
Neosho County
Allen County
Cloud County Labette
Barton
NW Kansas Tech
Pratt
Hutchinson
Cowley
Consecutive Jayhawk West Conference Titles 2011 • 2012 • 2013
THIS IS OUR HOUSE WIN REGION VI