WARREN, Mich. – No. 11 Macomb Men's Basketball fell on the road to the streaking No. 15 Henry Ford College Hawks by an 85-74 final Wednesday (Feb. 23) in Dearborn. The Monarchs, now 22-4 overall and 12-3 in league play, still have a shot to win the MCCAA Eastern Conference outright Friday (Feb. 25) when they host Oakland Community College at 7:00 p.m.
The Hawks, winners of 10 straight, improve to 21-7 overall and 12-4 in the MCCAA East. A loss by the Monarchs on Friday would result in a shared MCCAA East Championship with the Hawks. A win and the Monarchs have the title all to themselves.
The Hawks jumped out to an early lead and held off two rallies by the Monarchs to earn the win in Wednesday's conference contest. The Monarchs got to within one midway through the second half and had two chances to take the lead before the home team pulled away.
After a 74-73 overtime victory by the Monarchs on Jan. 26, the MCCAA East's first and second place teams split their season series with each team winning on its home court.
Official stats were not available on the conference's website at the time of this release. We will update game leaders and pertinent game statistics when they become available.
Up Next: The 11th ranked Monarchs host OCC Friday in the regular season finale. With an outright MCCAA East Championship on the line, the Monarchs will also hold their Sophomore Night ceremony prior to Friday's 7:00 p.m. tip-off. The Sophomore Night ceremony will be conducted at approximately 6:50 p.m.
MCCAA Championship Bound!: The Monarchs have clinched their spot as the MCCAA East's representative in the upcoming MCCAA Championship. The Monarchs, the No. 1 seed in the East, will visit the MCCAA West Champion Lansing CC Stars Monday (Feb. 28) at 7:00 p.m. as East battles West for the MCCAA Crown. The No. 1 seed also results in a bye in the Region XII District B Tournament. With the bye, the Monarchs will move on to the semifinals and will await the winner of the No. 4 vs. No. 5 matchup.
