The post-season for NJCAA Division II men's basketball starts Saturday, March 2, in Creston, Iowa.
The NJCAA 12th ranked Lakers have ended the regular season 2nd in conference, thus clenching the 2nd seed in the conference tournament with the win over Iowa Western this past Wednesday. The Lakers are currently 24-6 on the season and 14-4 in the ICCAC.
The leading scorer for the Lakers is Kai Evans, who is averaging 18.4 PPG and 6.0 RPG. The Lakers have a balanced scoring attack with 4 averaging double figures. Sam West is averaging 15.2 PPG and 8.2 RPG, Benard Omooria is averaging 14.9 PPG and Jaedan Jefferson is averaging 10.5 PPG. Evans is 2nd in the conference in points per game. West is 4th in the conference in rebounds per game and 4th in assists per game with 4.2. Omooria is leading the conference in three-point percentage at 40.7%.
"Finishing second is a great accomplishment for our team. Our guys have worked hard and have sacrificed for the good of the group. This has resulted in us playing at a high level most of the time. The team is excited for the regional tournament and the #2 seed. We are excited to make the trip to Creston and get another opportunity to play the game we love," commented Head Coach Jason McKinney.
Iowa Lakes Community College will travel to Creston, Iowa to play the first two rounds of the DII ICCAC Region XI Tournament. As the number 2 seed, the Lakers will play at 1:00pm on Saturday, March 2nd, taking on the Hawks from Northeast. Iowa Lakes won both meetings with Northeast 110-94 and 103-65.
Head Coach Jason McKinney commented, "The ICCAC is such a strong basketball league. There are 6 teams from our league that have been ranked nationally at some point during the season. There are going to be some high-level college basketball games this weekend."
You can find the link to the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference Tournament Bracket and standings here: bracket: https://www.iccac.org/sports/mbkb/2023-24/releases/20240228y7ttzd , standings: https://www.iccac.org/sports/mbkb/2023-24/d2/standings
Admission for the tournament is $15 per day. All games will be streamed on the ICCAC Network: ICCAC Sports Network
Below is the weekend tournament schedule:
Friday March 1st first-round games
7 p.m. - *(8) NIACC (9-20) vs. (9) Iowa Central (6-23)
Saturday March 2nd Quarterfinals
1 p.m. - *(2) Iowa Lakes (24-6) vs. (7) Northeast (11-16)
3 p.m. - *(3) Kirkwood (24-5) vs. (6) Southwestern (16-14)
5 p.m. - *(1) DMACC (27-3) vs. NIACC (9-20)/Iowa Central (6-23) winner
7 p.m. - *(4) Ellsworth (24-6) vs. (5) Iowa Western (16-14)
Sunday March 3rd SemifinalS
5 p.m. - 2/7 winner vs. 3/6 winner
7 p.m. - 1/8/9 winner vs. 4/5 winner
Thursday, March 7th Championship game
7:30 p.m. - At site of highest remaining seed
ICCAC Standings
|
School |
Conference |
Overall |
|
DMACC |
16-2 |
27-3 |
|
Iowa Lakes |
14-4 |
24-6 |
|
Kirkwood |
14-4 |
24-5 |
|
Ellsworth |
14-4 |
24-6 |
|
Iowa Western |
9-9 |
16-14 |
|
Southwestern |
8-10 |
16-14 |
|
Northeast |
5-13 |
11-16 |
|
NIACC |
3-15 |
9-20 |
|
Iowa Central |
3-15 |
6-23 |
Future men's basketball regional tournament sites
2024-25 - Ellsworth
2025-26 - Iowa Central
2026-27 - Kirkwood
2027-28 – DMACC
OTHER: Photo of 23-24 Team attached.
Link to Roster: https://www.iowalakesathletics.com/sports/mbkb/2023-24/roster
Link to Schedule: https://www.iowalakesathletics.com/sports/mbkb/2023-24/schedule
MEDIA: For more information, please contact Head Men's Basketball Coach Jason McKinney at (712) 362-7916 or the Iowa Lakes sports information office at (712) 362-7928.