MACC MEN'S BASKETBALL REGION 16 RUNNER-UPS

Greyhounds Hoping for At-Large Bid to Hutch

The Moberly Area Community College Men's Basketball Team was defeated by Three Rivers Community College 61-72 in the finals of the NJCAA Region 16 Tournament at Jefferson College. Moberly trailed 28-30 at the half. Still down by 4 points with 4 minutes remaining, the Greyhounds were unable to close the gap and saw their three-year region supremacy come to an end. Point Guard KJ Vasser led Moberly in scoring with 18 points (4 made treys) while Latrell Kyles added 15 points, Ade Popoola scored 12 points along with 12 rebounds, and Javaris Moye added 10 points. Three Rivers hit 14 of 23 three-pointers in the contest.

In the semi-finals, Moberly defeated State Fair 64-55. The Greyhounds were led in scoring by Ade Poppola with 19 points, with Javaris Moye adding 14 points and 9 rebounds.

"Very tough losing the Regional Finals after 3 straight championships," said Coach Patrick Smith, "but give Three Rivers lots of credit. They shot the ball so well and every time we seemed ready to gain some control, they just countered to make a big-time play. We played hard but could have coached and played better. We were right there a few times and just couldn't get the key stop, it seemed. I am very proud of this team and what we've accomplished. I truly hope we get the opportunity to play again. I definitely hope we get strong consideration based on the schedule we played along with our overall volume of work."

Moberly currently has a 26-6 record and finished the season ranked #13 in the final NJCAA Poll. The Greyhounds won the MCCAC Championship (13-1 record), #1 seed in Region 16 (11-1), and posted an 18-game winning streak. MACC is hoping for an at-large berth (8 bids) to the NJCAA National Tournament, and the field will be announced Sunday during the NJCAA Division I selection show.

Photos by Sue Halliburton