Both Teams Will Play Semifinal Games Today
By Mike Ready
Lake Sheldrake, N.Y. and Rochester, Minn. – Both the men and women’s basketball teams advanced to the NJCAA DIII national semifinals after winning dramatically different games in Thursday’s quarterfinal round.
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The No.1 ranked Brookdale men, playing in Lake Sheldrake, N.Y., won their 30th game of the season as they bolted out to an early 8-0 lead over ninth-ranked Lincoln College of New England (Hartford Ct.) and never looked back.
The wire-to-wire 81-71 win was never in doubt, and only some sloppy play in the closing minutes had the score looking closer than it really was. The Blues carried a 20 plus- point lead for the majority of the game, which was never in doubt.
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Senior forward Joe Nickerson picked up where he left off in last season’s national tournament, when he was named Most Valuable Player, dropping in 26 points, gabbing eight rebounds, blocking three shots, with four steals. The Wildcats had no answer for Nickerson as he seemingly scored at will underneath while dominating in the paint all night.
Freshman forward Jamik Moore added 17 points and would’ve scored more if not for a couple of very questionable foul calls that left him in foul trouble and on the bench for much of the second half. He brought down eight boards and had a steal and a block.
Senior point guardRicky Stevens led the team in assists with four, while chipping in with seven points. David Rosado added eight points and six rebounds. Senior guard Cory Soanes led the team with four blocked shots and had seven points.
The Men (30-1) will play sixth-ranked Rock Valley, Rockford, Ill. (27-5) in the second of the two semifinals starting at 7:00 p.m. today, 3-14-14.
The fourth-ranked Brookdale women won their 30th game in a row against two defeats, coming from behind by four at the half to defeat Sullivan County (25-4) in a squeaker, 74-71, Thursday in Rochester, Minn.
Brookdale’s two big-men, Marya Trapp and Sam Carlson, and guard Marina Lukianov led the charge for the Blues.
Lukianov led the Blues with 18 points and grabbed eight rebounds, while Carlson dropped in 17 points, pulled down nine boards and blocked an incredible six shots. Trapp dominated the boards, grabbing a game-high 18 rebounds, while also putting up 15 points, blocking three shots and dishing out a team-high four assists.
Senior guard Nadya Szaniszlo added nine points, while Region XIX tournament MVP Lauren Bowler chipped in eight points, three assists and two rebounds.
The Women move on to play No.1 ranked Rock Valley (27-5) from Rockford, ILL. today (3-14-14) in the first of two semifinal games at 6:00 p.m.
