THE FERGUS FALLS SPARTANS TOOK ON THE CENTRAL LAKES RAIDERS IN THE MCAC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

Fergus Falls Spartans took on Central Lakes Raiders in the championship game of the Minnesota Community College Athletic Conference State Tournament. The game got off to a quick start as each team raced up and down the court. Central Lakes got out of the gate fast as they opened on an 8-2 run. The Spartans called a timeout with 17:36 left in the first half. The score was Raiders 10 and Spartans 2.

Central Lakes continued to pound the ball to the basket. They were on fire. Fergus Falls simply could not find the range during the first half. The Spartans went on run midway through the first half in an attempt to close the gap. Central Lakes didn't get frustrated and they continued to pound the ball inside.

The Raiders used both man-to-man and zone defense in the first half which seem to slow down the Spartans and eliminated easy baskets. The Spartans found their legs and competed well in the first half. It was a slug fest of a basketball game.

After the early start for Central Lakes Fergus Falls got into the game. Both teams dove on the floor after loose balls and went hard after rebounds. Fergus Falls tied the game at 29 with just over 7:00 left in the first half.

As the clocked winded down to the end of the first half, both teams went on a scoring flurry. Neither of these teams were gun-shy when it came to shooting the ball. In a first half that was very physical and aggressive on both ends of the floor, both teams traded baskets in the final 2:00. The score was Central Lakes 42 and Fergus Falls 41.

Both teams came out on fire to start the second half. The Spartans went on a run to open the second half. Fergus Falls regained their composure to stay in the game.

The Raiders kept on attacking the basket as they looked for the easy shots. Maurice Hernandez was all over the floor for Central Lakes. He got his shot going early and shot the ball well from everywhere on the floor.

In a hard fought game that saw Central Lakes come to life the Spartans came away with the 84-66 victory over Fergus Falls.

The leading scorers for Fergus Falls were Keanu Glover with 17 points, John Paul Bright with 11 points and Anthony Lee with 10 points. Fergus Falls shot 21-46 from the field. That included going 7-17 from behind the three-point line. They shot 17-26 from the free throw line.

The leading scorers for Central Lakes were Ronnie Kornbaum with 24 points, Kwamaine Johnson with 20 points and Jesse Fleming with 12 points. Central lakes shot 35-65 from the field. That included going 5-15 from behind the three-point line. They shot 9-12 from the free throw line.