DANVILLE – Defensive play won the day as  the Milwaukee Area Technical College Stormers men’s basketball defeated the Scottsdale Community College Fighting Artichokes 

 91-84 in the first round of the NJCAA National Championship at the Mary Miller Gymnasium in Danville, IL. 

 The win advances the Stormers to the quarter-finals of the NJCAA National Tournament. The team will play the Des Moines Area Community College Bears tonight at 8 p.m.

  The team from Arizona entered the tournament with a 19-11 record and were the Region 1, Division II champions. None of that mattered after the 1 p.m. tip-off.

The Stormers have played fast-paced basketball all year and that was no different this game. Quick transition points and the smothering defense allowed the team to stay within\ themselves despite the best efforts of the Artichokes.

“You know to have a chance at a national title after what happened two years ago, it really is just a treat,” said head coach Randy Casey. “This team has its own identity though and we are looking to play our game and make a run,” he said.

Stormers point guard Jaylin Scott led the charge with 22 points on twelve shots. He was also key in combating the Artichokes’ best efforts to come back, an effort that got them within three points at one time in the second half. Scott had nothing but praise for his team’s resiliency.

“We just stayed true to ourselves. They made a few runs but I just tried having faith in my team and what we have done throughout the year. We showed a lot of toughness,” said Scott.

This toughness was felt on the defensive end where the Stormers managed nine steals as a team. Chima Nwosu also grabbed ten defensive rebounds to help elevate the team to 51 over-boards. This will be something to look for in today’s game against Des Moines.

The Stormers will need to win to avoid being relegated to the consolation bracket. The last time the Stormers participated in the National Tournament they placed fifth overall.

“We are just going to be ourselves and get some sleep before tomorrow’s game,” said Scott.

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