Once again the men’s basketball team at Kirkwood Community College will be headed for the Land of Lincoln. The Eagles bested the field in the Region XI Tournament, finishing with a 64-56 win Sunday, March 7 over top-seeded Ellsworth Community College.
The Kirkwood men traveled to Fort Dodge to play in the Region XI (District 7) tournament after an initial victory over Southwestern Community College on March 3. On Saturday they were paired against the host Iowa Central team and their highly recruited point guard, Kurt Alexander. The Tritons’ “home court advantage” did not deter the Eagles from swooping in and snapping up a 64-56 victory. The determined play of the sophomores led to a 64-56 victory for Kirkwood.
Sunday’s championship game pitted #1 seeded Ellsworth vs #2 seeded Kirkwood. The ability to dominate the rebounding statistics (61-34) enabled Kirkwood to take advantage of numerous “effort” plays by the scrappy guard court as they played to a 56-56 tie at the end of regulation. The Eagles went on to play hard for another five minutes, dominate on defense and defeat Ellsworth, 63-59. (The Sunday game was the fifth overtime contest for the Eagles so far in the season.)
“The guys did a tremendous job all through the tournament, especially defending and rebounding. Hopefully that is a trend we can take straight into Danville next week. We are really proud of these young men and their hard work,” said Eagles Head Coach Doug Wagemester.
Sophomore Jordan Stoermer was awarded the title of MVP, joined by sophomores Jarvis Williams and Kaylon Williams on the All-Tournament team.
The Kirkwood men end conference play with an overall record of 25-7, 14-3 in the conference. Next up is the NJCAA Division II National Tournament in Danville, Ill., March 16-20. Times and opponents are to be determined.
Updated tournament information is available on the National Junior College Athletic Association Web site: