Men's Basketball Wins Region IV Division I Championship

The move back to NJCAA Division I status has paid early dividends in year one for the Triton College men's basketball team. After winning six Region IV Division II titles including the national championship last season, the Trojans claimed their first Region IV Division I crown since the 1985-86 season with a 78-71 win over Highland Community College Monday in Joliet.

"It's a surreal feeling to be honest," said Trojans head coach Steve Christiansen.  "I have to tip my hat to our players. Highland is such a worthy opponent who built a great tradition in Division I. That's the type of team you want to play in a game like this."

Triton (30-3) will host Moberly Community College (MO) in the District IV Championship Saturday, March 9 at the Robert M. Collins Center Gymnasium. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. with the winner advancing to the NJCAA Division I National Tournament in Hutchinson, KS. The Greyhounds are the Region 16 champions with a 26-6 record. Both the Trojans and Moberly received votes in the final NJCAA Division I poll of the regular season released Feb. 26.

Ralph Cruz (Von Steuben) was named tournament MVP with a 23 point performance, including making six three-point field goals. All-American candidate Alondes Williams (Milwaukee, WI) tallied 15 points to be named to the all-tournament team. Proviso East graduate Quinlan Bennett also was selected to the all-tournament team with nine points and seven rebounds.

Triton trailed the Cougars by as many as nine points in the first half and trimmed the deficit down to 35-33 at halftime. Highland (23-5) was able to maintain the edge until the midway point of the second half when the trio of Cruz, Williams and Bennett helped spark a 12-0 run to give the Trojans the lead for good at 60-49 with 9:38 to go in the contest.

A Cruz three-pointer started the run to give Triton a 51-49 lead with 12:10 remaining. He then followed with a steal and layup. Then sophomore Najee Brown-Henderson (eight points) converted on a three-point play to push the Trojan advantage to 56-49. After a Highland timeout, Bennett got an open layup and then Williams capped the run with a steal and emphatic one-handed windmill dunk to force another Cougar timeout.

Highland would pull within three on two occasions late, but triples from Cruz and Williams kept the Cougars at bay. Trevell Cunningham made four clutch free throws in the final minute to ice the victory. The freshman guard from Milwaukee, WI had 15 points, six rebounds and three assists off the bench.

"The first half we had to find our legs and could not get into our flow which has been easy for us to find this season," Christiansen said. "In the second half we got on track because of our defense. That got us going and into a rhythm and we started scoring. That's something we definitely need to do going into our next game because (Moberly) can put some points on the board."

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