Men’s Basketball: Blue Knights Defeat Raiders

The Central Community College men's basketball team closed out the 2021-22 season with a 71-67 loss at Dakota County Technical College in the NJCAA Division II Men's Basketball North District playoff on Saturday.

The Blue Knights jumped out of the gate with a 13-0 run before the Raiders responded with a 14-0 burst. Dakota County led at halftime, 41-35. The score remained close throughout the second half, but CCC was unable to move ahead and DCTC held on for the four-point victory.

"We really struggled to hit shots from the perimeter and that's what ultimately lost us the game," said CCC head coach John Ritzdorf. "We had multiple chances to hit a big shot to give us the lead, but we just couldn't do it."

Derek Merwick (pictured) led CCC with 20 points while Dwight Glover Jr. scored 14 points. Emarr Vinson finished with 11 points. Both Merwick and Vinson each hauled in nine rebounds.

With the loss, the Raiders finished the season with a mark of 17-10.