HIGHLIGHTS: YOUTUBE
FLINT, Mich. – Survive and advance! Macomb Men's Basketball won the hard way Thursday (March 3), losing a 16-point halftime lead before coming back to win a thriller over Delta by a 76-73 final in the Great Lakes District B Semifinals. The win propels the No. 11 Monarchs (25-4) into the Great Lakes District B Championship Saturday (March 5) against No. 15 Henry Ford (24-7). Tip-off is slated for 7:30 p.m. Saturday evening at Mott CC's Ballenger Field House.
ONE WIN AWAY: The winner of Saturday's title game will earn a spot in the 16-team NJCAA Division II National Championship March 15-19 in Danville, Ill.
On Thursday, the Monarchs were rolling early and jumped out to a 36-22 halftime lead behind stingy defense and a balanced offense that saw five Monarchs record five-or-more points over the opening 20 minutes of play. The Monarchs shot 50% from the floor in the opening half and forced Delta into 13 turnovers to earn the 14-point lead at the break.
Delta turned their game around in the latter stanza and eventually took the lead for the first time at 56-55 with eight minutes remaining in the contest. Delta led by as many as five before
Jiovanni Miles (Novi, Mich./Wisconsin-Green Bay) put the exclamation point on a late rally with a game-tying 3-pointer to knot the score at 68-68 with 2:40 remaining on the clock. The Monarchs made key defensive stops from there, outscoring Delta 8-5 over the final 2:40 to earn the 76-73 victory.
Miles paced five Monarchs in double figures scoring with 17 points to accompany an impressive stat line that included 10 rebounds and five steals. John Ukomadu (Bloomfield, Mich./Vincennes) posted 13 points, nine rebounds and a pair of a blocks, while Tariq Humes (Farmington, Mich./Elevation Prep) tallied an equal 13 points to accompany three boards and three steals. Jaylen Daughtery (Detroit, Mich./Mott CC) recorded a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds and Elijah Belle (Detroit, Mich./Davenport) added 12 points, six assists and four rebounds in the semifinal win for the Monarchs. Delano Williams (Mt. Clemens, Mich./Mt. Clemens) rounded out Thursday's top performers with nine points, two rebounds and a pair of steals.
