Recap: Panthers Prevent #17 Bobcats from National Tournament Appearance
The #2 seeded Bryant & Stratton College men's basketball team (25-8) and the #1 seeded Morton College Panthers (21-12) competed for a Region IV Championship on Saturday night in Sugar Grove, IL where the Panthers defeated the Bobcats 75-67 to move on the the National Tournament...
WAUWATOSA, WI (March 10, 2019) - The #2 seeded Bryant & Stratton College men's basketball team (25-8) and the #1 seeded Morton College Panthers (21-12) competed for a Region IV Championship on Saturday night in Sugar Grove, IL where the Panthers defeated the Bobcats 75-67 to move on the the National Tournament.
This was the first time in program history the men's basketball team had reached the Region IV title game but could not overcome the Panthers as they suffered a 73-68 loss in late December as well.
Leading the way in the game for the Bobcats was floor general Justin Brookens with a game-high 26 points, five assists and four steals.
Freshman guard Manny Jingco dropped 17 points, four assists, three rebounds and three steals while Chris Thompson (Fr.) added 11 points on 5-7 shooting from the field.
A back-and-forth first half battle, the Bobcats trailed the Panthers 25-21 with five minutes remaining before the break.
In the closing moments of the first half, Thompson gave the Bobcats a 32-30 edge after knocking down a tough shot with just seconds left.
Midway through the second half, Bryant & Stratton remained ahead by two points (50-48) after Brookens knocked down a shot from beyond the arc.
Down the stretch, the Panthers held a 71-64 lead with just over twenty seconds left on the clock forcing the Bobcats to foul.
With the clock against them, the Bobcats saw their hopes of a National Tournament appearance come to an end as the Panthers ran away with the win.
Bryant & Stratton shot 44.2% from the field to Morton's 45.6%.
From beyond the arc, the Bobcats shot 36.7% to the Panthers 53.3%.
Bryant & Stratton concluded the season with records of 8-0 at home, 15-5 away and 2-3 on neutral floors.
In the final two weeks of the season, the Bobcats cracked the top 20 rankings and concluded their season at #17.
A talented group of players, Bobcats head coach Matt Majkrzak will look to bring back some of his current freshman players as well as bring on more talent for next season.
Majkrzak is the second head coach in Bryant & Stratton men's basketball history.