Posted: Jan 11, 2018
11th-Ranked (D-III) Lorain County CC Falls to Top-Ranked (D-II) Cuyahoga CC, 80-65
Cuyahoga Community College
80
Lorain County Community College
65
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Cuyahoga Community College | 39 | 41 | 80 |
|
Lorain County Community College | 37 | 28 | 65 |
A lot of talent was on display as Cuyahoga Community College -- ranked #1 in the nation in NJCAA D-II -- overcame a strong challenge from host Lorain County Community College -- ranked 11th in NJCAA D-III this week -- 80-65, on Wednesday evening, January 10.
It was too much Devon Robinson for the Commodores to overcome. The talented sophomore forward tallied a game-high 38 points -- 25 in the decisive second half -- on 13-of-22 shots, including several dunks. He completed a double-double with 14 boards to lead all rebounders. Robinson also collected nine steals and five assists.
LCCC was paced by sophomore guard Mike Rell (Parma/Valley Forge) (pictured) with 20 points on 7-of-8 shooting, including 2-for-2 from long range and 4-for-4 from the foul line. His all-around game included three boards, two assists, a steal and a blocked shot. His 15 first half points led all scorers at the intermission.
"We just played the best D-II team in the country," Head Coach Marty Eggleston declared. "It was a good, exciting game. It was a tough loss, but I compliment Cuyahoga on what they are doing with a very talented team," Eggleston added.
The Commodores came out strong, taking a 15-10 lead and increasing it to seven, 35-28, with 3:49 remaining in the first half. But the Challengers scored 11 of the final 13 points of the half to take a 39-37 lead into the locker room.
The game was tied at 45 and the Commodores only trailed by two, 52-50, with 12 minutes to play. Tri-C then went on a 9-2 run, capped by a Robinson dunk, to take a 61-52 lead with 8:50 remaining.
LCCC came within six points at 65-59 on a Jake Schultz (Parma/Heritage Christian) three-point shot with 5:20 left in the game. Again, Cuyahoga answered with an 11-2 streak over the next four minutes to open a 76-61 advantage.
Sophomore Daniel Lott (Brooklyn/Brooklyn) scored 13 points on 5-of-10 shooting and added four rebounds and a steal. Sophomore forward Miles Meredith (Bedford/Bedford) and freshman forward Jovon Jones (Cleveland/Faith Baptist) each added eight points and eight caroms.
Cuyahoga CC remains undefeated at 16-0 while LCCC is now 12-2 for the season. The Commodores play next at Sinclair on Saturday, January 13.