The men’s basketball team’s last game of the season, held on Feb. 24, was a heartbreaker.
Seniors Angel Encinas, Nick Ochoa, Martel Lewis, and Shaun Sexton played their final intercollegiate game.
The first half for the Dustdevils is best described by Head Coach Curtis Condie.
“We dug ourselves in too big of a hole,” he said.
The Dustdevils fell behind 10-25 after the first ten minutes of play. The lead was too big and the Dustdevils only managed to cut it to 11 points at the half.
The second half showed a team with heart and dedication according to Condie.
“I was proud that our guys kept fighting till the end of the game; it shows a lot of character,” said.
The Dustdevils came back and cut the lead to two points (53-55) with seven minutes remaining in the second half.
Both teams kept converting baskets on both sides of the court, making it a very close game.
With the score tied at 61 and less than two minutes left to play, the crowd was on its feet and cheering the dustdevils on.
Lincoln, however, pulled out the upset by scoring a lay-up and a free throw to end the game with a final score of 64-61.
The Dustdevils were led by Chris Swan with 25 points and Martel Lewis with 14.
With the season over and a final record set Condie said, “I think we’ll be a very competitive team next year in the Heartland Conference. You’ll see some physical improvement in our team.”
The Dustdevils end the season in fourth place.
“The sad thing is that we would’ve qualified for the NCAA tournament,” says Condie.
However, due to the school’s first year in the NCAA program, all athletic teams are unable to qualify for the tournament even if their record proves otherwise.
As for the seniors Condie said, “It will be hard to replace them, but I know there is someone out there that would want to be a Dustdevil basketball player.”
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