MCC men hold on for 74-71 road win over Otero

LA JUNTA, Colo. – The McCook Community College men overcame a five-point deficit in the final two minutes of the game and scored the game winner with 1.4 seconds left to down Otero Junior College Friday 74-71.

A couple defensive stops and an Otero technical foul helped MCC climb back and take a 69-68 lead with 1:19 remaining. An MCC layup with 34 seconds left put MCC up 71-68 but Otero tied the game at 71 with 8.6 seconds left.

A free throw with 1.4 seconds left put MCC up 72-71. With 1.1 seconds left to play Martel Evans stole the Otero in-bounds play and dunked the game-clincher as time expired.

"It definitely wasn't our best executed game or our cleanest game, but we found a way to get it done which was good," said MCC Coach Jacob Brandl. "But in all honesty, I didn't think we played very well at all, and I thought they played pretty well."

The two teams exchanged leads in the first 10 minutes of the game as OJC led 11-10 at the 11:40 mark. MCC took a 14-13 lead with 10:29 left in the first half. MCC held a 24-22 lead with 3:00 left. The two teams were tied at the half 32-32.

The game was tied at 49 midway through the second half before OJC went on a 6-0 over the next two minutes then led 64-57 with 4:22 left in the game.

"This was one of those games where to win a regional championship you not only have to be talented but you have to be together," said Branld. "I thought our group did a really good job of staying together and locked in because there was a run there midway through the second half where Otero made a run and looked like they might run away, but our guys just kept answering and kept making the right plays and the basketball gods rewarded us."

Otero shot 49.2 percent from the field, made just one of 12 shots from the 3-point arc (8.3 percent) and made eight of 17 free throws (47.1 percent). The Rattlers outrebounded MCC 44-30.

"Them shooting 49 percent was a little concerning for me," said Brandl. "I thought our guys kept battling though. We did a great job of attacking and getting into the paint," said Brandl.

MCC shot 44.1 percent from the field, made three of 20 3-pointers and made 19 of 27 free throws (70.4 percent) and outscored the Rattlers from the line 19-8.

"That was probably the game right there (at the line) because we got outrebounded by 14 and gave up 14 offensive rebounds and had 18 turnovers – which isn't us. Last game we only had five."

The Indians were credited with 15 steals in the game.

"I thought we did a good job of getting extra points and extra baskets on the other end with those steals and I thought that was a big key in the game too," said Brandl.

Sophomore Ty Foster (Bronx, N.Y.) led MCC with 25 points making seven of 12 shots from the field and all 10 of his free throws.

"Ty Foster was really good tonight, his pace was crazy, defensively he was good as well, and just gave us a lot of good minutes," said Brandl.

Martel Evans (sophomore, Omaha Creighton Prep) added 19 points and six rebounds. Bryan Akanmu (freshman, Paris, France) scored 17 points. Freshman Louie Tucker (Bristol, England) had six boards and eight points.

"Martel did a nice job of continuing to getting downhill," said Brandl. "Bryan was seven of 12 from the field and hit a big 3-there late, he struggled from the free-throw line a little but hit the big ones when it mattered and Zeki hit a big shot down the stretch," Brandl said of sophomore Zeki Cavli (Bodrum, Turkey) who finished with two points and four rebounds.

The Rattlers go to 7-11 and 0-1 in region play.

MCC goes to 6-9 and continues the road trip Saturday at two-time defending Region IX champion Trinidad (12-5). The Trojans beat North Platte Friday, 76-65.