Raiders Fall Short in Title Game 73-70

HUTCHINSON, KS. - In yesterday's NJCAA National Championship game, both teams went back and forth for all 40 minutes with the lead changing hands 11 times and the score being tied for an additional 11 times. In the end, John A. Logan pulled it out to hoist their first National Championship trophy in school history.

Northwest Florida had a chance to tie the game in the final 8.2 seconds as John A. Logan's Isaiah Stafford missed 1 of his free throws to keep it a 3-point game. Marcus Niblack corralled the board and dribbled down the court. A little hesitation at the 3 point line, forced Kasean Pryor to crash the glass to try for a second opportunity but Niblack dribbled into the paint and passed it to Pryor. Pryor was forced to dribble back out to the corner and put up a heavily contested shot as the ball hit the hardwood and the clock hit zero.

The Raiders had a great game on the offensive side of things as they were 25-59 (42.4%) from the field compared to John A. Logan's 26-78 (33.3%). Northwest Florida drained 6-16 3s while the Vols were 4-20 from beyond the arc. The only category that the Vols beat the Raiders in was turnovers as NWF turned the ball over 11 times and John A. Logan turned it over 5. The Vols capitalized on those turnovers, turning them into 16 points on the other end while the Raiders were able to get 4 points off turnovers.

Chad Baker-Mazara led the Raiders with 21 points on 7-12 shooting and 4-7 from 3. The sophomore guard recorded 3 blocks. Kasean Pryor turned in a double double for the Raiders in his final game as he had 18 points and 11 rebounds with 3 blocks. Marcus Niblack ended the game with 13 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists.

The National Runner-Up Northwest Florida Raiders end the season 29-8 and have a lot to keep their head up high. The Raiders were crowned Panhandle Conference Champions, Region 8 Champions, and finished 2nd to a team that had not lost since November 11th.