NJCAA Region IV Div. II Men's Basketball District 3
Sunday, March 4, 2018
#5 Illinois Valley 41 25 ( 66 ) 19-13
#1 Triton 48 57 ( 105 ) 28-4
Triton overwhelms Illinois Valley in second half
(Sugar Grove, IL.) – Top-seeded Triton College, the fifth-ranked team in the nation, overwhelmed fifth-seeded Illinois Valley in the second half to cruise to a 105-66 victory in the semi-finals of the Region IV Division II District 3 Tournament. Triton out scored Illinois Valley 57-25 in the second half with pressure defense, holding the Eagles to just 20 percent shooting (6 of 29) over the final twenty minutes of play.
Triton led only 48-41 at the break as the Eagles tried to keep pace with the Trojans' high-powered offense. Five minutes into the second period the Triton lead was still only seven points at 55-48. The Trojans then went on an 18-3 run to blow the game open. For the game the Trojans compiled 27 assists as six different players reached double digits in scoring.
Deonta Terrell led the way with 19 points, while Najee Brown-Henderson booked 18 points and handed out five assists. Alondes Williams chipped in with 13 points, six rebounds and five assists, and Devin Blake added 11 points. Courtese Cooper contributed 10 points and snagged nine boards, Greg Atkins also tallied 10 points and dished out seven assists, and Corey Shepherd nearly gave the Trojans a seven player in double figures with nine points. Illinois Valley's Keymonta Johnson led all scorers with 34 points, while also hauling down 10 rebounds and registering four assists. Isaiah Tubbs scored 16 points and recorded three steals in the loss.
Triton will play for the Region IV Division II District 3 Championship next Saturday, March 10 at 5:00 p.m. in Waubonsee's Erickson Hall Gymnasium. The Trojans (28-4) will play the winner between second-seeded Moraine Valley Community College (19-12) and third-seeded Olive-Harvey College (25-6). All the tournament games can been seen 'live' on-line at www.GoChiefs.com/RegionIV. For more information on the tournament, go to www.GoChiefs.com. The winner will advance to the NJCAA Division II National Tournament in Danville, Illinois beginning March 20.