JC has not won a MIAA Conference Championship in men’s basketball since 1995, and the basketball team has never won the ‘A’ Conference Championship.
But this year, that changed.
On Feb. 20, JC played St. Frances for the MIAA ‘A’ Conference Championship at UMBC. This year, JC won two match-ups against St. Frances: once during the regular season and the championship win Sunday with a final score of 70-58.
The game started out slowly. Neither team took off to gain an early lead. As a result, the score was only 8-6 JC after the first quarter.
In the second quarter, both teams started to get into foul trouble. Sophomore Mike Owona and freshman Lionel Owona both had to sit due to fouls. This allowed St. Frances to keep the game tied at 20-20 with under two minutes to play in the half. However, JC put together a 7-0 run to end the first half, capped off with a three pointer from freshman Kamau Stokes. JC went into halftime with the lead, 27-20.
Stokes’ three pointer would turn out to be the turning point of the game. JC continued to build its lead in the third quarter, pulling ahead by as much as 16 points. Heading into the fourth quarter, it was all JC, 44-30.
In the fourth quarter, foul trouble caught up with both teams. St. Frances lost two seniors as Greg Lewis and Ronald “RJ” Williams fouled out. JC lost sophomores Mike Owona and Rodney Elliot. St. Frances capitalized on these fouls and made a small run in the early fourth quarter. However, JC never let St. Frances get within five points, enabling JC to win the game.
This win is historic for the team as the first ever MIAA ‘A’ Conference Championship victory. The win also broke the record for most wins in a season, with 29.
Senior Ronald Scott had a tremendous night with 23 points, including several three pointers. Junior Jarred Jones was key on the inside with 12 points. Malcolm McMillan scored 17 points, including a slam dunk.
Coach Tony Martin stressed the importance of the end of the first half after the game. “[The last few seconds] were critical. You can do a lot more with a two possession lead,” Martin said.
In a timeout during St. Frances’ fourth quarter run, Martin calmed the team down. “[I told them] we’ve been here before. Our experience in tough situations will pull us through.” Martin said.
As for being the coach of the best team in JC history, Martin had only a few words: “It’s an honor.”
Scott attributed the win to a full team effort. “We played together with a lot of heart,” Scott said.
As for the championship win, Scott said, “It’s really exciting. It’s my last year, so I wanted to leave it all out on the floor.”
Brian Reid is a reporter for “The Patriot” and jcpatriot.com.