3/9/2007
Story by Tyler Cundith

Cavaliers advance to region championship

OVERLAND PARK, KS -- Johnson County Community College advanced to the finals of the Region VI Division II Championship for the eighth straight season by defeating Highland Community College, 80-59, in the semifinal round Thursday night.  JCCC  will host Hesston College in the region championship, Saturday March 10, at 2 p m.  Hesston advanced by knocking off No. 1 seed Brown Mackie,  79-78 in Salina.  JCCC has won four of the previous seven championships, including last season.  

The Cavaliers jump out to a 14 point lead over the Scotties in the first half, then put the game out of reach  in the final minutes.  Freshman forward Anthony Spencer led the Cavaliers with his 13th double-double of the season, finishing with 23 points and 10 rebounds.  Spencer hit 9-of-15 shots and was 5-of-7 at the line.  Sophomore Aaron Linn, who continues to the climb the all-time scoring chart, finished with 22 points, eight rebounds, five assists and three steals.  Twenty of his 22 points came in the second half, helping JCCC pull away.  Jonathan Jackson, Corey May and Russell Revels each added 10 points in victory.  Revels also led the team with eight assists.

Saturday afternoon’s game marks the third time these teams will have met this season.  JCCC won the previous games, 89-69 at Hesston Nov. 4, and 73-57 at home Nov. 14.  JCCC leads the all-time series 21-2.  JCCC is 4-0 against the Larks in region tournament play, but this is their first meeting in the championship game.