Milwaukee Tech claims school's first NJCAA National Championship

DANVILLE, ILL. & HERKIMER, N.Y. - The Milwaukee Area Technical College Stormers made history at the 2023 NJCAA Division II Men's Basketball Championships, becoming the highest seed to ever win the tournament en route to winning the first-ever national title in MATC-Milwaukee history. The seventh-seeded Stormers defeated #8-seed Macomb (MI) by an 86-65 final in the title game of a tournament that featured numerous upsets and saw three of the top four seed get eliminated before the semifinals. Sophomore Mason Johnson was named the Pin Ryan Most Valuable Player, , and was joined on the NJCAA All-Tournament Team by teammates Ke'Varius Taylor and Mikale Stevenson. Randy Casey was awarded the NJCAA Coach of the Tournament. (Recaps: NJCAA | MATC-Milwaukee)

Milwaukee opened their fourth trip to the national tournament in the last five years with an 83-68 win over #10 Mott in the first round. They followed with a 79-65 upset of #2 Niagara County in the quarterfinals, and then scored five of the last seven points in the semifinals for a narrow 79-76 upset of #6 Orange County.

In the championship game, MATC-Milwaukee played efficient offense and lock down defense throughout. They led 24-14 midway through a first half that saw the Stormers lead by as much as 13 before taking a 45-36 advantage into the locker room. After Macomb scored the first basket of the second half, Milwaukee ripped off a 14-0 run to seize control of the game. Taylor finished with a game-high 20 points and Stevenson added 17 points and eight rebounds. Johnson tallied 14 points, seven boards, and four blocks, while DeMarco Clayton posted 12 points. Milwaukee finished their season with a 32-4 record.

Waubonsee Community College also represented Region 4 on the national stage, and the #12-seeded Chiefs upset #5 Iowa Lakes in the first round by a 70-64 tally. A late lead slipped away in the quarterfinals against #4 and host Danville, who shot 43 free throws en route to an 83-78 decision. Now playing in the consolation bracket, Waubonsee squared off against #1 Davidson-Davie fresh off their first loss of the season, and suffered a 66-54 setback to end their season with a 26-10 record. 

Meanwhile, at the NJCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championships, Region 4 and Great Lakes District champion College of DuPage was awarded the #11 seed and promptly upset #6 Fulton-Montgomery with an 89-85 overtime victory. The Chaparrals lost a double-digit lead in the first half, and then outscored Fulton-Montgomery by an 8-4 margin in the extra session to reach the quarterfinals. DuPage then dropped a 77-62 contest to #3 Brookdale. Now in the consolation bracket, the Chaps rallied to beat #2 Dallas College-North Lake 53-51 thanks to a pair of late free throws from Finn Walsh and Drew Gaston. In the fifth place game, DuPage was defeated 89-66 by #4 Northern Essex to complete a 22-15 season. Sophomore Matt Elliot was named to the NJCAA All-Tournament Team.