RLC advances at NJCAA DII Tournament

By Nathan Wheeler

Rend Lake College’s 12-point lead at halftime over Cecil College was a promising start in today’s opening round of the 2013 NJCAA DII Men’s Basketball Championship Tournament in Danville.

It got better.

After recovering from a meltdown in the opening minutes of the second half, the Warriors took control and won 98-75 over a Seahawks squad that logged an atypical 33.7 percent from the field. Cecil led the nation in three-point shooting during the regular season.

But it was Rend Lake that hit from beyond the arc in the second half – 44 percent. Big shots from long range came courtesy of players like Dawson Verhines (Woodlawn) who finished with 12 points; Cortez Macklin (Louisville, Ky.) who had 13 points, six rebounds and two assists; and Stephon Bryant (Louisville, Ky.) who had seven points and five rebounds. RLC got good inside penetration and rebounding from Bronson Verhines (Woodlawn) and Noel Allen (Guttenburg, N.J.). The combination of shooting and rebounding lifted The Lake to the next round.

RLC will play South Suburban (Ill.) at 8 p.m. Wednesday, March 20. Rend Lake beat the Bulldogs 76-68 when the two teams met back in November. The games are available live on local radio by tuning in to WQRL 106.3FM or online at wqrlradio.com and on a video stream at www.ihigh.com/njcaatv.

Bronson Verhines finished with a double-double – 18 points and 15 rebounds. Two of the biggest factors in the game were rebounding and bench points. Rend Lake out-rebounded Cecil 61-35 and had 41 points from the bench, compared to the Seahawks’ 10. Cecil players appeared to be running on empty toward the end of the fast-paced game.

Montez Buford (Louisville, Ky.) had an outstanding first half for the Warriors and was a big part of the lead going into halftime. Buford finished with 15 points.

Others contributing to RLC’s cause were point guard Trice Whaley (Jeffersonville, Ind.) with six points and two steals; Corey Ayala (Metropolis) with four points and two assists, Allen with 10 points and seven rebounds, Dennis Froemling (Campbell Hill) with two points, Alonzo Singletary (Chicago) with two points and six rebounds, and Jeril Taylor (Louisville, Ky.) with nine points, nine rebounds and five assists.

For all things athletic at The Lake, visit RLC online at www.rlc.edu/warriors.