Creston, IOWA—The Southwestern Community College men’s basketball team made history on Saturday, March 25, 2017, in Danville, IL, by earning the college's first-ever National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) national championship! The Spartans defeated Louisburg College, from North Carolina, with a score of 77-53, to become the 2017 NJCAA DII National Men's Basketball Champions.
The Spartans led the championship game most of the way, however, the game was tight, until the fourth quarter when the Spartans pulled ahead to come away with the 77-53 victory.
Here are the game results from throughout the week in Danville, IL:
• Game 1, Southwestern vs Southern Maryland Hawks, win, 94-69 - Tuesday, March 21, 2017, 11 a.m.
• Game 2, quarterfinals, Southwestern vs Pima, win, 81-75 - Thursday, March 23, 2017, 1 p.m.
• Game 3, semifinals, Southwestern vs Richard Bland, win, 70-62 - Friday, March 24, 2017, 6:30 p.m.
• Game 4, championship, Southwestern vs Louisburg, win, 77-53 - Saturday, March 25, 2017, 7:30 p.m.
Spartan Head Basketball Coach Todd Lorensen could not have been more proud of his team and their effort throughout the tournament.
“Players come and go, but banners stay forever; and we’re putting one up in Creston, Iowa,” exclaimed Lorensen following the Spartans championship victory.
The Spartans finished the season with a school record of 36-1. Southwestern is the fourth Iowa team to win a Division II title. North Iowa Area Community College won the title in 1995 and Kirkwood won in 1997 and 2016.
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