Blazers win national tourney

For the first time in North Lake College’s history, the men’s basketball team clinched the 2006 National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division III title at the championship game in Delhi, N.Y., by defeating Gloucester County College’s Roadrunners of New Jersey, 78-65.

“After 24 years of coaching, this is my highest achievement,” the North Lake Blazers head coach, Tim McGraw, said. “I felt like we had the best players on our team. A lot of them contributed and played well. They have proved themselves.”

North Lake’s president, Dr. Linda Glasscock, said, “I am so proud of the achievements of our men’s basketball team and the coaching staff. The significance of this national championship goes far beyond the basketball court. It gives us all a sense of pride in being a North Lake College Blazer.”

The Blazer’s team captain, 6-foot-5 Chris Agwumaro (18 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist), was named the tournament MVP.

Agwumaro’s first dunk soon after the game started gave a preview of North Lake Blazers’ confidence throughout the championship game. For most of the first half, the game was tight and intense. North Lake started to take over the floor after a lay-up by Blazer guard Preston McCarter with 5:12 remaining, and pulled ahead to lead 40-27 at halftime. Returning from the half, Gloucester attempted a comeback and cut the margin to 11 points but it was the closest they would ever get. North Lake held on for a 78-65 triumph.

“The championship game really brought us together. We played hard to keep up the intensity and to show how much we wanted to win,” said Agwumaro. The biology sophomore will be playing for Prairie View A&M University in fall 2006.

Prior to the championship game, North Lake played the first round game against Suffolk Community College’s Longhorns of New York on March 16, and then faced Rochester Community and Technical College’s Yellowjackets of Minnesota in the semifinal on March 17.

In the first round of the tournament, North Lake started strong with an 82-73 win over Suffolk, in a game marked by North Lake’s clear domination.

The Blazers started to dominate late in the first half with Agwumaro’s dunk with 5:38 left. North Lake moved to a 46-39 lead by the end of the half. Coming out for the second half, Suffolk tried to catch up but shots by Blazers Lorenzo Anthony and McCarter sparked the team to regain the momentum and sealed the game with a 9-point victory.

“The first game was probably the most important and nerve-racking because it got us in the right side of the bracket,” said Kevin Amend, the Blazer forward who led the game with 19 points. “We just played together as a team and put that game away.”

On the second day, North Lake returned to the court for the semi-final game against Rochester in what proved to be the Blazer’s closest and most challenging game in the tournament. North Lake defeated Rochester 78-76 in an intense overtime game.

In the fast-paced game, both teams relied on playing tight defenses and strong offenses. The game went largely shot-for-shot but North Lake managed to maintain a halftime lead of 37-33. In only 1.5 minutes into the second half, North Lake’s lead had increased to 42-33. However, Rochester chipped away at the lead and tied the score at 69-69 within a few ticking seconds of the game, sending it into overtime.

With intensity coming from all angles, the overtime seemed like a roller coaster ride. Both teams came out strong and shot well. North Lake got into foul trouble repeatedly but Rochester failed to take advantage. Within the closing seconds of the game, Agwumaro made one free throw to end the game with another North Lake victory.

North Lake’s All Tournament Team member Preston McCarter, who had a terrific performance with 24 points and 8 rebounds, said, “We knew we could do it. It was a team effort and I couldn’t do it without the help from my team,”

The North Lake Blazers have now concluded the 2005-06 season with remarkable performances including winning the last nine games in spite of some adversities during the midseason.

Athletic Director Dan Joutras said, “Chemistry, cohesiveness, camaraderie and respect for one another are so important and this team has a lot of that.”

In the end, McGraw cited perseverance and resiliency as the keys to the success. “We had so many close games. The biggest reason we won is we found a way not to give up or get discouraged and quit,” he said.

Additional Photos:

DCCCD Trustees & Basketball Team

Coach Tim McGraw

Basketball Team with Trophy