DANVILLE, Ill. – The 7th-seeded Mott Community College men's basketball pulled away in the final minute to hand No. 10 seed Johnson County Community College a 57-47 setback in the first round of the 2021 NJCAA Division II National Tournament.
The loss puts the Cavaliers (16-5) in the consolation part of the bracket, and will take on 15-seed Southeast Community College (13-8) Thursday, April 22 at noon CT. Southeast lost to No. 2 seed Des Moines Area 90-67 in their first round matchup Johnson County defeated The Storm earlier this season 97-85, and lead the all-time series 14-3.
Sophomore guard Jaycson Bereal lead the way offensively for the Cavaliers. He finished with a game-high 14 points on 6-of-14 shooting. Sophomore forward Jaland Whitehead was close to registering his 14the double-double of the season, finishing with seven points and 10 rebounds. Freshman guard Desi Williams added 11 points and three assists.
Johnson County jumped out to a 10-2 lead before Mott went on a 19-6 run that put the Bears in front for good. Mott led 28-25 at halftime and clung to a three-point lead with 90 second to play before pulling away in the final minute.
Mott dominated the boards, outrebounding the Cavaliers 48-to-33, including 21 offensive rebounds.
J.D. Rawls led Mott with 12 points and five rebounds. The Bears also got 10 rebounds apiece from brothers Armond and Savieon Williams. Armond also finished with 11 points.