Men’s Basketball: Raiders Win Region 9 Title

The Central Community College men's basketball team defeated Southeast Community College, 73-66, in the Region 9 Division II men's basketball championship game at the Raider Fieldhouse on Saturday.

After leading 32-22 at halftime, the Raiders built a 14-point lead with three-and-a-half minutes to play for a 65-51 lead. The Storm responded with a 15-4 run to pull to within three points, 69-66, with 24.8 seconds left in regulation. However, two Jayden Byabato free throws with 20.3 seconds gave the Raiders a two-possession cushion. Byabato capped the CCC scoring with a slam dunk with eight seconds to go.

"It was a good win for us," said Byabato. "This is exciting, especially for all of the sophomores because we didn't have a chance to get (a championship) last year."

Byabato led CCC in scoring with 20 points while Kevin Cook logged a double-double with 17 points and 13 rebounds. Tredyn Prososki tallied 11 points and Dwight Glover Jr. finished with 10 points.

"I wasn't comfortable until the last dunk to be honest," said CCC head coach John Ritzdorf, who was named as the Region 9 Coach of the Year. "But credit (Southeast), they never gave up. Their pressure was really tough, and they made a lot of plays down the stretch. But I'm really proud of our guys for making enough plays when we needed them."

The win gives the Raiders a 17-9 mark heading into next weekend's district championship. Game details will be announced as they become available.