ARNOLD, MD – Hot off a pair of upset wins en route to the 2020 NJCAA Region XX Division III title, the Anne Arundel Community College men's basketball team heads back to the Mid-Atlantic District tournament for the second year in a row. The Riverhawks will face the nation's number one team in Sandhills CC (30-2) in the championship Saturday at 1 pm.
AACC defeated second seed CCAC, 99-90, in the Region XX semifinals, and dealt top seed and 15th ranked Prince George's CC an 84-79 loss to claim its first Region XX championship since 2013. Not only will the Riverhawks head back to the District Tournament for the second-straight year, they will also face the Flyers for the second time in a row.
In the 2019 District semifinals, the Riverhawks fell to the Flyers, 88-76, in Pinehurst, N.C. Sandhills went on to win the District and finished the season by winning the fifth-place game at the national tournament. Only three current Riverhawks saw time against the Flyers in 2019 – Joseph Chase, Matthew Kern, and Chase Russell combined for 29:21 off the bench. Chase recorded six points, three steals, four assists and six rebounds (five defensive) in 22:29 on the court.
Prior to 2019, the Riverhawks' last trip to the District semifinals was in 2013 after winning the Region XX title. AACC fell to Caldwell Community College & Technical Institute, 104-75, in that game in Wentworth, N.C.
The Riverhawks have used a team-first approach to keep their trajectory headed up as the season progressed. AACC rallied back from an eight-game skid spanning the semester break to win three of its last five games.
AACC freshman Michael Cantrell, the Region XX Tournament MVP, was named the NJCAA Men's Basketball Division III Player of the Week for play ending February 23. He scored 40 points to go with 19 rebounds, 11 steals, 10 assists, and three blocks in the tournament. Cantrell ranks third in Region XX with 2.2 steals/game, fourth in blocks with 1.0/game, and fifth in field goal percentage at 49.5%.
Sophomore Davon Jones leads the team and ranks eighth in Region XX with 15.2 points per game. His 76.1% free throw percentage ranks him fourth in Region XX. Jones has posted six 20+ point games and recorded a career-high 31 in a win at Catonsville on January 24.
Freshman Jamar Young is the second-leading scorer on the team with 14.2 points per game. He posted five 20+ point games and scored a career-high 32 in the Riverhawks' upset win over second-seeded CCAC in the Region XX semifinals. Sophomore captain Joseph Chase (is a constant on the court and averages 6.2 rebounds per game - good for sixth in Region XX. Chase has recorded three double-doubles on the season.
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