Northwest Makes History. Completes Perfect Season!

For the second time since 2009 and the fifth time in the history of Division 2 we have an undefeated national champion. The Northwest Missouri State Bearcats came away with a 64-58 win over Point Loma to win the title for the second time in the past three years. The last team  to pull the trick was the 2009 Findlay Oilers. The high-powered offense of the Bearcats had to grind out two of the last three games in Evansville. As they grinded out a 55-51 win over Atlantic Region Champion MercyHurst in the Quarterfinals. In the Semis Northwest rolled out to a 76-53 win over Saint Anselm before edging Point Loma 64-58 in the Finals.
Division 2 Quarterfinals (All Games in Evansville:)
(5) Saint Anselm 91 (4) Nova Southeastern 81
(1) Northwest Missouri State 55 (8) MercyHurst 51
(7) Southern Indiana 94 (2) West Texas A &M 84
(6) Point Loma 87 (3) Queens (NC) 74
Semifinals:
(1) Northwest Missouri State 76 (5) Saint Anselm 53
(6) Point Loma 81 (7) Southern Indiana 71
Finals:
(1) Northwest Missouri State 64 (6) Point Loma 58

Where Are They Now: Mickens Adjusting To Life in China.

I caught up with former Notre Dame College Falcon Rodney Mickens, who came to NDC after attending  Polk Community College (Fla.)  He was a member of the 2010-11 Falcons that went 11-18 and competed in the American East Conference.
PV: What are you doing these days?
RM: I live in Guying, China and am training kids how to play basketball at a local gym called "Heaven Park."  I am teaching them the basics of basketball, like dribbling, passing, and form shooting. I am also playing point guard on the professional basketball tour.
PV: How do you like living in China? What makes it so different?
RM: The cost of living is cheaper but the language barrier and the culture are a hard adjustment.
PV: How long have you been there?
RM: It has been about seven months now. I have started to adjust a little but am still trying to learn the language.
PV: Tell me a little about your family.
RM: My dad, Rodney Sr. ,was in the military and now works as a social worker.  My mom, Adrienne Lane worked as a dispatcher for IBM. I have two sisters, Taylor, 20 and Iman, 18. I also have two brothers, Omar, 25, and Niam, 20.  I credit my dad with my work ethic and my mom with my mental strength.
PV: Why?
RM: I credit my dad with my work ethic because he taught me to wake up and grind every day.  I credit my mom with my mental strength because she taught me how to be strong mentally when things were going wrong. She taught me to stay positive and don't ever let that affect you mentally.
PV: What moves did you learn from your dad specifically?
RM: I learned how to shoot from my dad.
PV: Where did you live growing up?
RM: I was born and lived in Ossining, New York. It is a village in West Chester County.
PV: How old were you when you picked up a basketball?
RM: I was just eight years old when I got fully immersed in basketball. I picked up a lot about basketball from my dad and my dad's friends.
PV: What were the best days of your life?
RM: High school for sure. My family did not have a lot of money but always got the new kicks when basketball season came around.
PV: What was the biggest thing you learned at NDC?
RM: Communication and using my voice. These are keys to life in general.
PV: How do you think you guys would have done if you played in the MEC back when you played?
RM: When I played we were a really young team. Basketball has always been a part of my life and will always be a part of my life. God put me on this earth to give back, teach, and play basketball. I want to give back to others just like others did for me.
PV: What did you learn from the coaches at NDC?
RM: Both coaches prepared me for life after school. They taught communication, preparation, and gratitude towards others.
PV: Do you still keep up with NDC hoops?
RM: I have not been able to keep up with the basketball program while living in China. I plan on doing so when I get back to the STATES. Some of my former teammates like Eric Dummermuth and Brennan Osborn started a group chat on INSTAGRAM so I still stay in contact with them that way.
PV: What do you miss most about the STATES?
RM: I miss the STATES a lot. I want my regular food back!!

Ferris State Edges Northern State To Tie Record- Win Title!

The Ferris State Bulldogs got all they could handle from the Wolves of Northern State but ultimately survived a late lane violation on a free throw and a missed 3-pointer at the buzzer for a 71-69 victory in front of a standing room crowd at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls. Neither team had played in a national title game in hoops prior to Saturday.
  With the victory Ferris State won the first title for the school in any sport. Division II Player Of The Year and Tournament Most Outstanding Player Zach Hankins scored 19 points to lead the Bulldogs- only two other Ferris State (Mich.) players scored in double figures on the day. Peter Firlik scored 12- and- Markese Mayfield added 11 for the Bulldogs who went 38-1 on the season trying Winona State for the most wins ever in a DII campaign.  Mayfield and Hankins led the team with six and five rebounds respectively- while Mayfield and Drew Cushingberry each had three assists. The Bulldogs shot 47 percent as a team- while shooting 38 percent (3-8) from the 3-point line.  They shot at a 73 percent clip (16-22) from the free throw line and had 10 assists- to go along with 12 turnovers.
  The Wolves season ended at 36-4. Also having  four players  score in double figures in the loss. Carter Evans led the way with 20 points- the two-headed center of Logan Doyle and Darin Peterka each scored 14- while Ian Smith scored 12.  Peterka and Doyle each secured seven rebounds- while Peterka also tallied six assists.
 Northern State (SD) shot 49 percent from the floor in the game- they shot 25 percent (1-4) from the 3-point line.  At the free throw line the Wolves shot 67 percent (12-18) on the afternoon.  The Wolves won the rebounding battle 33-27.  They had 11 assists and turned the ball over 18 times.
   The Wolves jumped out to an early 9-2 lead in the games first three minutes powered by Smith.  After a pair of 5-0 runs each team would settle into the contest. Halfway thru the opening half it would be a five point (23-18) lead for the Wolves.  The Bulldogs would battle back and tie the game at 29 at the 6:15 mark of the first half after a pair of free throws by Jaylin McFadden.  Three minutes later Ferris State would take a 33-31 lead after a layup by Noah King.  It would be 39-37 in favor of the Bulldogs heading into the locker room.
  After the Wolves scored the first bucket of the second half it would be a 6-0 run by the Bulldogs that gave them a 45-39 lead early in the second half.  With 10:23 to go in the contest a Carter Evans bucket would cut the Ferris State lead to one (55-54.)  The two teams would battle back and forth until Peterka would tie the game at 61 at the 6:06 mark.  The two teams would trade baskets, then a Peterka layup after a McFadden free throw would give the Wolves a brief 65-64  lead at the 4:27 mark. The Bulldogs would grab the lead right back on a Firkin layup with 4:07 remaining to make it 66-65.  The next four points would go the way of the Wolves as they would take a 69-66 lead with 2:55 to go after a Evans dunk.  Firlik would hit a pair of free throws to cut it to one at the 2:08 mark.  After a Northern turnover Hankins would give the Bulldogs the lead for good at the other end with a layup at the 1:31 mark.  Neither team would score in the next 1:21 until the wild ending. With 10 seconds left Mayfield who shot 80 percent from the free throw line on the season was at the free throw line for a pair. The first one looked to give the Bulldogs a two point lead but was waved off as Mayfield stepped on the line.  He calmly hit the second to make it 71-69 and the Wolves had a chance to win it.  Peterka had a chance to win it with a 3-pointer with two seconds left but it was off the mark and the Bulldogs would celebrate the first title in school history.
Final Elte Eight Results:
Tuesday's Quarterfinals:
#1 Ferris State 87 #8 Barry 84
#4 West Texas A and M 87 #5 Le Moyne 73
#2 Queens 100 #7 Cal Baptist 94
#3 Northern State 79 #6 East Stroudsburg 71
Thursday's Semifinals:
#1 Ferris State 85 #4 West Texas A and M 79
#3 Northern State 105 (#2) Queens 99 (2 OT)
Saturday's Championship Game:
#1 Ferris State 71 #3 Northern State 69

Cream Rises To The Top In Sioux Falls.

The eight team field in Division II was reseeded prior to Tuesday's quarterfinal action. Those seeds proved to be correct. As the top four seeds advanced to Thursday's semifinals at the Sanford Pentagon.  One game was closer than expected, as top seeded Ferris State barely edged eighth seeded Barry 87-84 in Tuesday's second contest.  In the first game of the day #4 West Texas A and M was a 87-73 winner over LeMoyne.  #2 seed Queens (NC) outlasted #7 Cal Baptist by a score of 100-94. In the nightcap it was #3 seed Northern State who was a 79-71 winner over #6 seed East Stroudsburg.
 Thursday's Semifinal Results:
#1 Ferris State 85 #4 West Texas A and M 79
#3 Northern State 105 #2 Queens (NC) 99 (2 OT)
Saturday's Final:
#1 Ferris State vs #3 Northern State 3 PM

East Stroudsburg Knocks Off Shippensburg To Win Atlantic.

East Stroudsburg knocked off Shippensburg 84-72 to win the Atlantic Region Championship on Tuesday night on the campus of Virginia State. The Warriors won the first ever regional championship in school history.
 After the game was tied with 4:23 to go the Warriors ended the game on a 17-5 run to secure the victory.  ESU continues its season at 27-5 on the year. The Warriors had five players score in double figures in the victory.  The Warriors will carry a 13 game winning streak into Tuesday's matchup with Northern State in Sioux Falls.
   Atlantic Region Final Results:
Regional Quarterfinals:
#1 Virginia State 81 #8 Virginia Union 76
#5 Shippensburg 98 #4 West Liberty 66
#2 East Stroudsburg 78 #7 Gannon 69
#6 West Chester 82 #3 Wheeling Jesuit 77
Regional Semifinals:
#2 East Stroudsburg 90 #6 West Chester 76
#5 Shippensburg 77 #1 Virginia State 58
Regional Final:
# #2 East Stroudsburg 84 #5 Shippensburg 72
National Quarterfinals (Sioux Falls, South Dakota) on 3/20:
# 4 West Texas A@M (31-3) vs #5 Le Moyne (27-6) 1 PM
#1 Ferris State (35-1) vs #8 Barry (23-8) 3:30 PM
#2 Queens NC (31-3) vs #7 Cal Baptist (28-5) 7 PM
#3 Northern State (34-3) vs #6 East Stroudsburg (27-5) 9:30 PM

MEC Wipeout.

As has been well chronicled in the past few days, it has been a rough season for the Mountain East Conference this year. That came to a conclusion over the weekend when the only two teams who made the NCAA Atlantic Region in fourth seeded West Liberty and third seeded Wheeling Jesuit were both bounced from the region in the opening round. Third seeded Wheeling took a five point halftime lead, but was outscored 46-36 in the second stanza in a 82-77 loss to sixth seeded West Chester. The Cardinals magic ran out after making a run to the MEC title in Charleston a week earlier. That left regular season Champ West Liberty as the only hope for the conference to get anyone to the NCAA Elite Eight in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The fourth seeded Hilltoppers who were 26-3 on the year and only had one loss in league play before falling in overtime to host Charleston in the MEC Semis. West Liberty was run out of the gym 98-66 by fifth seeded Shippensburg. Shippensburg advances to take on East Stroudsburg in Tuesday night's Atlantic Regional Final.
Here are the results thus far:
3/10 (All games played At Virginia State:)
#1 Virginia State 81 #8 Virginia Union 76
#5 Shippensburg 98 #4 West Liberty 66
#2 East Stroudsburg 78 #7 Gannon 69
#6 West Chester 82 #3 Wheeling Jesuit 77
Sunday 3/11:
# 2 East Stroudsburg 90 #6 West Chester 76
#5 Shippenburg 77 # 1 Virginia Union 58
Tuesday 3/13 (NCAA Atlantic Region Championship Game- Winner Advances to Elite Eight:)
#2 East Stroudsburg vs #5 Shippensburg

Down Year Only Gets MEC Two Teams In Tourney.

Anybody who closely followed the Mountain East Conference knew it was it was a down year for the conference going into Sunday's NCAA DII Selection show. Notre Dame College had a rough year- Shepherd could not meet expectations- Fairmont State played themselves out of the tournament with a late season swoon that included a loss to Concord in the opening round of the conference tournament. West Virginia State underachieved after a hot start- and- Charleston got it together late in the season,  but fell in the conference title game to Wheeling Jesuit. Wheeling and West Liberty, as they have for several seasons now will represent the MEC in the Atlantic Region. The Cardinals will be the third seed in the Atlantic Region and take on sixth seeded West Chester- while the fourth seeded Hilltoppers will take on fifth seeded Shippensburg. Virginia State is the top seed and host- while Virginia Union snuck into the eighth spot as an automatic qualifier. Second seeded East Stroudsburg and seventh seeded Gannon rounded out the region.
MEC Tournament Results:
2/28 First Round:
#7 UVA Wise 89 #10 Glenville State 83 (OT)
#8 West Virginia State 110 #9 West Virginia Wesleyan 76
      3/2 MEC Quarterfinals:
#2 Wheeling Jesuit 72 #7 Virginia Wise 58
#6 Concord 89 #3 Fairmont State 83
#1 West Liberty 133 #8 West Virginia State 106
#5 Charleston 74 #4 Shepherd 65
3/3 MEC Semifinals:
#5 Charleston 95 #1 West Liberty 93 (OT)
#2 Wheeling Jesuit 83 #6 Concord 69
3/4 MEC Finals:
#2 Wheeling Jesuit 80 #5 Charleston 65
Atlantic Region hosted by Virginia State. Games to be played on 310- 3/11- and- 3/13. Winner Advance to the Elite Eight in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
#1 Virginia State vs #8 Virginia Union
#4 West Liberty vs #5 Shippensburg
#2 East Stroudsburg vs #7 Gannon
#3 Wheeling Jesuit vs #6 West Chester

Five Good and Five Bad Things NDC 2017-18.

It was a tumultuous year to say the least for the Notre Dame College Falcons in the 2017-18 season. When the season began expectations were sky high as the Falcons played five exhibition games in Toronto prior to the regular season.  NDC won all five games convincingly. Then the actual season began:
The Good:
1. NDC got in the win column with a 99-95 overtime victory on 11/11. This was right after a double overtime loss to Millersville in the season opener. Drew Scarberry scored 28 to lead NDC in the victory and KT Taylor added 25.  The Falcons won the game despite Will Vorhees and Levi Frankland being out with injuries (they would persist all season.)
2. The Falcons rallied to win the home and conference opener on 11/18 86-76.  Vorhees had 33 points and 10 rebounds in the contest.  The Falcons caught a break when Tommy Bolte of Concord was out with an injury (he would average 31.0 ppg for the season- 20 more than last season's average.)
3. NDC defeated Urbana to snap a eight game losing streak on 1/20 97-85 in overtime. Halil Parks made three free throws in the waning seconds to send the game into OT. The Falcons dominated the extra session outscoring Urbana 15-3.
4. Drew Scarberry made three free throws and the Falcons rallied late to defeat West Virginia Wesleyan 79-78 on 1/6.  The Falcons trailed by five in the final minute before the rally.
5. The Falcons used the hot hand of Scarberry to get a 83-74 win over Urbana on senior day that would snap a nine game losing streak.  Scarberry made seven of his eight three pointers in the second half as he tallied 26 points. The eight 3-pointer's were one off of the school record set by Tyree Gaiter.  Taylor- Megins- and- Aaron Beidelman (all seniors) played a key role in the victory.
 The Bad:
1. NDC finished the season with a 6-22 record and went 4-18 in the MEC. It was the worst season in the short history of the program. The Falcons suffered thru both an eight and nine game losing slide, but defeated Urbana to snap both skids.
2. 11/29 was a tough night for the Falcons. Not only did they lose to Wheeling Jesuit 91-80- but they were depleted on the front line. Vorhees was ruled out for the season with a groin/adductor injury- and- Ja'Sean Lewis who set the school record for rebounds in a game and was fifth in the country in rebounds prior to his season ending (personal reasons.)  Lewis is no longer with the program.  While Vorhees redshirted and will return next season. The Falcons were down to just two big men, Oliver Megins and Angelo Cugini for the remainder of the season. Not to mention Cugini being injured- Halil Parks missing several games with a concussion and hand injury- KT Taylor dealing with an ankle injury- and- Frankland battling a knee problem all season long.
3. NDC had a virtual playoff game against Glenville State trying to qualify for the MEC Tournament at Murphy Gym. The Pioneers rolled to a 85-64 victory. They would be the 10th seed in the MEC tournament- while the Falcons did not qualify.
4.  The Falcons had trouble competing with the top portion of the league. They suffered three losses of 38 points or more.  1/27 they were a 100-62 loser to Charleston- on 2/3 they were a 100-62 loser to Fairmont State who would miss the NCAA tournament the year after being the runner up.
5. NDC would have slim hopes of qualifying for the MEC tournament and then they would be diminished when West Liberty drubbed the Falcons 112-68 on 2/21.