MJH Boys Capture NCAA League Basketball Title
by Dale Henderson
January 19, 2010
The MJH boys basketball team captured the title of the NCAA League Tournament last Saturday. They earned a first round bye, having the best overall regular season record. In the semifinals they defeated SES 37-22. Alex Yoxall paced ten scorers with 11 points. Brandon Davis and Josh Macy each added 6, while David Johns had 5, Gunner Mick 3, Kaden Berry 2, and Skyler Rietbrock, Jake Fleming, Gage Mortimer, and John Kelly 1 apiece. In the championship game the Lions downed Sacred Heart 39-28. Davis and Yoxall each tallied 12 points to lead the scoring with Macy adding 5, Johns and Fleming 3, and Rietbrock and Mick 2.
Both games were very intense but big third quarters by the Lions pushed them to the victories. They only led SES by 5 at the half (12-7) but went on a 12-4 run to push the lead to 24-11 heading down the stretch. MJH led Sacred Heart 17-14 at the break but put on the defensive clamps, holding the Knights to a single free throw during the third period while scoring 9 of their own to take a 26-16 lead heading into the final stanza.
“It is difficult to beat good teams three times in a season so the guys deserve a lot of credit for the effort they put in on Saturday in doing that with both teams. We had talked all week about needing to play eight quarters of solid basketball and they indeed accomplished that. We also knew our bench would be key so we could keep people rested and they did a great job of coming in and giving us not only relief but providing key sparks. I am sure the guys will long remember the intense second half effort against Sacred Heart that earned them the championship.”
Along with the League Championship, the guys also won their own Pre-Season Tourney and finished the season with a 13-2 record.
