Ottumwa, IA—The Marshalltown Community College men's basketball team's season came to an end on Wednesday night as the Tigers fell to top-seeded Indian Hills Community College 133-80 in the Region XI Semifinals at the Hellyer Center. Mike Rodriguez (Boston, MA/Redemption Christian Academy) led the Tigers with 22 points, including 12 free throws.
Taking on the Warriors, the top-ranked team in the NJCAA, for the second time in five days, MCC fell behind early as Indian Hills came out firing to open playoff game. In the team's previous meeting on Saturday night, the Tigers limited Indian Hills to just 2-21 three-point shooting in the first half. On Wednesday night, the Warriors hit 11-17 from beyond the arc to build a 71-39 halftime advantage.
MCC opened the second half with a series of three-point shots from Jamal Gatali (Toronto, ONT/Downsview) and two straight from Guilherme Verardo (Sao Paulo, Brazil/Clube Pinheiros), but the Warriors continued to stay hot from three-point range, answering every Tiger trey. Kenny Strong (Youngstown, OH/Chaney) came off the bench to hit a mid-range jumper and a three-point shot for the Tigers midway through the second half. The Warriors continued to extend their lead and advanced to the championship of the Region XI Tournament with the victory.
Indian Hills will take on Southeastern Community College in the Region XI Championship game. The second-seeded Spartans defeated Iowa Western Community College 88-71 in the other Region XI semifinal Wednesday night.
John Johnson (Philadelphia, PA/Horace Furness) came off the bench to score a career-high 18 points, including the final eight for MCC. Troidell Carter (Lilburn, GA/Meadowcreek) closed out his MCC career with six points and 10 rebounds while fellow sophomore Gatali scored eight points. Marquis Cunningham (Bronx, NY/Frederick Douglas) grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds.
The Tigers finish the 2014 campaign with a 17-14 record overall and 2-6 in Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) play.
