DCTC Basketball NJCAA DII Region 13 Champions

Blue Knights topple United Tribes Thunderbirds 86–81

Blue Knights basketball (13–14) at Dakota County Technical College took home the NJCAA DII Region 13 championship. DCTC defeated the United Tribes Technical College Thunderbirds (16–14) from Bismarck, North Dakota, 86–81. The game was played Sunday, March 5, at 2 p.m. in the Activities building gym on the Inver Grove Heights campus of Inver Hills Community College.

DCTC advances to the NJCAA District 7 Championship against the Region 9 champion, the Central Community College Raiders (18–13), which will host the game in Columbus, Nebraska, at 4 p.m. Saturday, March 11, 2017. The District 7 champion will head to the Mary Miller Center in Danville, Illinois, to compete in the NJCAA DII Men’s Basketball Tournament March 21–25, 2017.

Cole Murray, 6-8 freshman post, led all scorers with 24 points; Murray, who made the Region 13 All-Region Team, also pulled down a game-high 14 rebounds. Adreon Wadlington, 6-3 freshman guard, added 18 points, draining 4 out 7 three-pointers. Wadlington was named NJCAA DII Region 13 MVP and made the All-Region Team. Martez Rodgers, 6-0 freshman guard, scored 15 points and grabbed 8 rebounds. Termaine Daniels, 6-0 freshman guard, scored 14 points, going 6 for 8 from the field. Rodgers, Daniels and Matt Lillquist, 6-8 sophomore post, each had 5 assists.

Blue Knights vs Thunderbirds gallery

Player spotlights

Martez Rodgers #25

Martez Rodgers

Height: 6-0
Weight: 175
Year: Freshman
Hometown: Chicago, Illinois
High School: Minneapolis Roosevelt
Position: Guard
Major: Individualized Studies

Season highlights

Assists: 43 ²
Minutes played: 665 ²
Games played: 24 ¹
Points scored: 218
Free throw percentage: 76.7 ¹
Rebounds: 46

Joey Johnson #22

Joey Johnson

Height: 6-3
Weight: 195
Year: Freshman
Hometown: St. Paul, Minnesota
High School: North St. Paul
Position: Forward
Major: Individualized Studies