Rock Valley defends crown, repeats as Region IV champ
GLEN ELLYN, ILL. - Rock Valley College ran away from the competition in a pair of wins over the weekend that propelled the defending champions to a second straight 2020 Region IV Division III Men's Basketball Tournament title. The top-seeded Golden Eagles, who have won the region crown six times in the past eight years, defeated Madison College 73-52 to advance to the district level.
Rock Valley College dispensed of #4 and host College of DuPage with a 73-56 win in the semifinals. The Golden Eagles owned a nine-point lead at halftime after breaking a 20-20 tie with an 18-7 push over the final ten minutes. The second half advantage pushed to as high as 24 before RVC took the 17-point win. Freshman forward Nick Pierson sparked the Golden Eagles off the bench with 21 points, while three others scored in double-digits.
The title game against the WolfPack was scoreless for the game's first four minutes before Rock Valley College went on an 11-0 run to grab an early lead. The WolfPack answered with six straight points, however, the Golden Eagles used a 12-0 burst to key a 33-14 first half scoring differential. Though the second half played much more competitively, the RVC led by more than 20 points for all but the first 90 seconds of the half. Pierson again added 12 points and was rewarded with the Region IV Tournament Most Valuable Player award. First year guard/forward Michael McDermott led the offensive effort with 19 points, and sophomore Ja'Quan Chestnut provided 12 points and joined Pierson on the Region IV All-Tournament Team. First year coach Tyler Bredehoeft was given Region IV Coach of the Year honors.
Rock Valley College will play the NJCAA Great Lakes District Championship on Saturday, February 29 at 2:00 p.m. CT against Region XII winner Columbus State Community College (OH). The Golden Eagles enter with a 20-12 record, and the Cougars are 18-7. Saturday's game will be played at Ohio Christian University in Circleville, Ohio. The winner qualifies for the 2020 NJCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championships in Rochester, Minnesota.
2020 Region IV Division III All-Tournament Team
Nick Pierson - Rock Valley College
Jason Williams - Madison College
Ja'Quan Chestnut - Rock Valley College
Earl Lewis - Madison College
Adam Taylor - Joliet Junior College
Patrick Shaughnessy - College of DuPage
Region IV Tournament MVP
Nick Pierson - Rock Valley College
Coach of the Year
Tyler Bredehoeft - Rock Valley College