Steven Abramo
Staff reporter
The sports calendar has turned to March, and the winter and spring sports’ teams have reached a crossroads in their respective seasons. Here’s what you need to know.
Men’s Basketball’s punches ticket to NJCAA D-II National Tournament
The Cavaliers made history on two different occasions Tuesday night inside Park City, Kansas’ Hartman Arena. First, the program racked up the second-most wins in a single-season (28), and second, they reached the NJCAA D-II Tournament for only the sixth-time ever.
After receiving a first-round bye in the Region VI D-II playoffs, the team notched wins over Labette (86-72) in the semifinals on March 2, and against Highlands Community College (85-76) in the Region VI D-II Championship.
Throughout the first two playoff games, the team has shot 58-of-106 (54.7 percent) from the field and 17-of-33 (51.5 percent) from behind the arc. In addition, six different players have scored in double-figures this postseason: Nick Larkin, David Turner, General Williams, Xavier Womack, JaQuaylayon Mays, and A.J. Pleasant.
Larkin and Turner, respectively, have flourished when it’s mattered. Larkin, the Cavs’ 6-foot point guard, followed up a 21-point, eight-assist, six-rebound performance last Saturday with a postseason-single-game record 36 points, eight steals, five rebounds and four assists on 60 percent shooting on Tuesday night. Larkin has logged 74 of a possible 80 minutes thus far.
In the meantime, Turner, forward, is averaging 16 points, nine rebounds, and 5.5 blocks per game on 73.3 percent shooting in the playoffs so far. His 93 total blocks on the season and 154 for his career are program records.
The team must wait for another two weeks to play again, as the National tournament in Danville, Illinois starts on March 19 and ends on the 23.
Women’s Basketball’s season ends in heartbreaking fashion
Following a 75-50 victory over Fort Scott in the first round of the Region VI playoffs last Wednesday, the Cavaliers’ season ended against No. 1 seed Kansas City, Kan. in the regional semifinals, 79-76 in overtime on March 2. The team’s final loss of the season came way of a three-pointer with 1.8 seconds left.
Guards KK Jackson-Morris, Jacionna Stowers, and Paige Elston ended the 2018-19 campaign as the team’s top three scorers. Meanwhile, freshman forward Julia Johnson finished as the team’s leading rebounder, corralling 204 boards, and freshman guard Jess Meyers tallied the most assists with 74.
Stowers also netted 93 three-pointers this season, bringing her career total to 188. Her 93 3-pointers rank sixth nationally and sixth on the college‘s season chart. Further, her 188 career treys fall one shy of the career mark set last year by Kylie Williams.
Weather puts softball season on hold before road trip begins
Several feet of snow postponed softball’s two-game series with Iowa Western on March 3. The team is set to play in the Crowder Bash from March 8-9 in Joplin, Mo. against Three Rivers Community College, Northeastern Oklahoma A&M, Crowder College, Jefferson College, and Indian Hills Community College.
Baseball continues to dominate as calendar flips to March
Not even mother nature has cooled down the baseball team’s blistering start to the 2019 season. After taking three-out-of-four games against Metropolitan Community College on Feb. 25-26 and Rockhurst University JV on March 1, the team’s record is now a robust 11-2.
The Cavaliers have outscored opponents by a total of 27 runs during their latest stretch. Starting pitchers Zachary Ebert, Dylan Bierman, Trey Ziegenbein, and Sloan Thomsen have yielded only four earned runs and eight hits through 22 innings, while racking up 38 strikeouts to just six walks.
Up next is a three-game series with Minnesota West on March 7-8.
The Dance Team’s events remain unchanged
The Golden Girls’ first week of March was highlighted with a home halftime performance on March 2. The rest of the team’s plans, such as a March 24 workshop and an April trip to Las Vegas, are still on schedule.