Ravens win third place game at national tournament

The Red Ravens came alive offensively in the second half against Southern Idaho and came away with a 91-86 win over the Golden Eagles in the third place game at the national tournament in Hutchinson on March 24.  The Ravens only loss in the tournament came to eventual national champion Midland, Texas in the semi-final round.

"I'm really proud of these guys," said Red Raven Head Coach Jay Herkelman.  "For them to bounce back against a team like Southern Idaho after last night's game showed a lot of character."

"We felt like we should've been playing for the national championship," said forward Daniel Payne.  "It was hard for us to come out."

The Ravens trailed 37-32 at halftime, but erupted on a 17-5 run to start the second half and grabbed a 49-42 lead with 15:47 left in regulation.

Southern Idaho closed to within one at 49-48 with 14:20 remaining, but the Ravens got the lead back to seven, 58-51, with 12:33 remaining.

Southern Idaho, though, would not go away.  The Golden Eagles responded with a 9-2 run of their own to know the score at 60-60 with 10:51 left in the second half.  The Golden Eagles would grab the lead momentarily when Juan Pattillo nailed a jumper to give Southern Idaho a 66-65 lead with 7:47 remaining.

"They have so much talent and they can really shoot the ball," said Herkelman.  "You have to play hard defensively against them every possession."

The Ravens, though, would start on a game deciding run.  The Ravens outscored the Golden Eagles 17-5 over the next six minutes to gain a 82-71 advantage with just under two minutes remaining.

The Golden Eagles would give the Ravens a scare, cutting the lead to 89-86 with eight seconds remaining, but Daniel Payne hit two clutch free throws with seven seconds left to seal the Ravens victory.

"Free throws wins games," said Payne.  "You have to make those to win games."

Brandon Kennedy led the Ravens offense, scoring 26 points on 10-of-11 shooting from the floor.  Kennedy also made also three attempts from beyond the three-point arc and was also 3-of-4 from the charity stripe.  Kennedy also grabbed seven rebounds.

"I happy for him because he's going to have a good feeling about how he played in the national tournament," said Herkelman.  "He was pretty hard on himself after the loss to Midland."

Payne bounced back from a tough night against Midland to score 26 points on 8-of-15 shooting from the field, including 5-of-9 from three-point range. 

Barry Eberhardt and Tarod Sanders concluded their Red Raven careers with a pair of double-doubles.

Eberhardt scored 10 points and grabbed 15 rebounds, and Sanders added 10 points and 11 rebounds.  Eberhardt also dished out a team-high six assists.

Aaron Jackson also hit double-figures.  Jackson scored 10 points in addition to seven rebounds.

Adris Deleon scored 25 points to pace Southern Idaho.

The Ravens end the season with a 33-5 overall record, matching last season's final record.  The Ravens third place showing at the national tournament in the second highest finish in Jay Herkelman's tenure.  The 2002 team finished as national runner-up, losing by one point in the championship game on a last second tip-in. 

In Herkelman's five trips to the national tournament in the past six seasons, his teams have finished second, third, fifth, seventh, and eighth.  He has never had a team fail to win at least two games at the national tournament or fail to place.

"If we keep getting here," said Jay Herkelman, "we might eventually get the ultimate prize.  I don't know when it will happen, but I like the fact that Daniel Payne and J.J. Seymore will be back next year."

Payne was named to the All-Tournament Team and Seymore received the Bud Obee Outstanding Small Player Award for his play at the national tournament.

The Ravens quest for another trip to the national tournament begins next November.  In the meantime, Payne vows to work hard during the summer.

"I'm going to put in a lot of effort during the off-season - get stronger, and work on my shot," said Payne.

Southern Idaho-Coffeyville Boxscore

Hutchinson News Tournament Site

National Tournament Web Casting Site (Check for the web casting link prior to tip off for Coffeyville's game at nationals)

NJCAA Men's Basketball National Tournament Web Site

National Tournament Fan Bus Information

Brandon Kennedy had the best game of his career at Coffeyville, torching Southern Idaho with 26 points on 10-for-11 shooting from the field.  Kennedy also drained all three attempts from three-point range he took on the night.

Barry Eberhardt shoots over the outstretched hand of Artisiom Parakhouski.  Eberhardt ended his Red Raven career with a double-double of 10 points and 15 rebounds.

Tarod Sanders drives into the lane during first half action of the Red Ravens win over Southern Idaho.  Sanders scored 10 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for the Ravens.

Daniel Payne signs an autograph for a young fan following the Ravens win in the third place game at the national tournament in Hutchinson.  Payne was named to the All-Tournament Team.

J.J. Seymore received the Bud Obee Outstanding Small Player Award at the national tournament.