BRAINERD — Both Central Lakes College basketball teams lost a coin flip to be the No. 1 seed in the Northern Division of the Region 13 Tournament.
So both the women and men have to settle for being the No. 2 seeds in the north playing the No. 3 seed from the south.
The Raiders men will play Anoka-Ramsey in the quarterfinals of the Region 13 Tournament 5 p.m. Friday, Feb. 24, at Anoka-Ramsey Community College.
CLC men’s head coach Jim Russell led his team to a 12-2 Northern Division record and an 18-8 overall record. At 12-2, the Raiders tied with Rainy River for the North title.
Since the new year, the Raiders have won 12 of their last 14 games.
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CLC faced Anoka-Ramsey on Nov. 12 and lost 93-79.
“The biggest message is all eight teams have the potential to win it all,” Russell said. “All eight teams have been beating on each other. The biggest thing for us is we played them on their floor and they beat us, so we know what to expect. I feel really good about the team because we are playing really well together right now and guys are taking that leadership role. We feel like we don’t have much to lose, just go out and play and enjoy the moment.”
Anthony Burch leads the Raiders in scoring at 15.3 points a game. Denzil Walker at 10.4 and Langston Binns at 10.1 are the other two Raiders averaging double figures.
TJ Kornbaum has led the Raiders in rebounds at 9.2 a game. Burch averages 6.8 assists to lead CLC.
Burch and Kornbaum along with Carrson Jones and David Felix are the Raider captains who Russell had high praise for.
“Our four captains have shown great leadership and I believe are the hardest workers we have had,” Russell said. “All four guys play really hard and put their heart and soul on the team and that’s our big mark.”
Rochester is the top seed from the south and Riverland the No. 2 seed from the south in the men’s tournament.
In CLC women’s head coach Krystal Brodeen’s first year she’s gone 7-1 in Northern Division play and 14-7 overall.
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The Raiders did not have a women’s team last year.
CLC plays in the Region 13A tournament as the No. 2 seed. The Raiders play Riverland in the semifinals at noon, Saturday, Feb. 25, at Anoka-Ramsey.
Northland was the other team in the northern division to go 7-1 to get the top seed.
“Being able to have a support staff around me and recruit was really big and I wanted to do it really well in my first year and not have excuses,” Brodeen said.
The Raiders would play the winner of Rochester vs. Itasca/Mesabi in the championship game at noon, Sunday, Feb. 26.
Itasca and Mesabi played in a play-in game Tuesday, Feb. 21. Rochester is undefeated on the season at 22-0.
The Raiders played Riverland Dec. 17 and lost 87-47. In that game, the Raiders were without leading scorer Samantha Quigley.
“That was our last game before Sam joined us,” Brodeen said. “They are a team that likes to press like we do and have some talented shooters, so I am looking forward to the matchup.”
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Quigley averages 15.8 points per game and has played in 12 of the Raiders’ 21 games. Alyssa Torgerson puts in 15.6 points and 10.4 rebounds a game. Kalli Papenfuss has tallied 11.7 points and 10.7 rebounds to go along with 5.3 steals.
Jamie Johnson pours in 11.1 points a game and Jacey Rydberg 10.5 points for CLC.
Those five Raider starters all average over 30 minutes a game.
“Some of the girls like going 40 minutes a game, especially if they are hot,” Brodeen said. “I enjoy that they are not complaining about it. The only reason to take people out is if they are in foul trouble or need a mental reset.”
Men’s Region 13 Tournament
Matchup: No. 2 Central Lakes vs. No. 3 Anoka-Ramsey
When: Friday, Feb. 24.
Time: 5 p.m.
Where: Anoka-Ramsey Community College.
Women’s Region 13A Tournament
Matchup: No. 2 Central Lakes vs. No. 3 Riverland
When: Saturday, Feb. 25
Time: Noon
Where: Anoka-Ramsey Community College
CONRAD ENGSTROM may be reached at 218-855-5861 or conrad.engstrom@brainerddispatch.com. Follow on Twitter at www.twitter.com/the_rad34.
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