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Kirkwood Mens Basketball

Kirkwood - Mens Basketball

No. 1 Eagles roll at national tourney

Tue - 19 Mar Written by Jim Ecker

DANVILLE, Ill. - The Kirkwood Eagles looked like the No. 1 team in the country Tuesday afternoon.

The top-ranked Eagles built a 21-point lead in the first half and thrashed North Central Missouri, 96-66, in the first round of the NJCAA Division II national tournament at the Mary Miller Center.

Kirkwood (28-4) will face Niagara County (N.Y.), a 73-61 winner over Wake Tech (N.C.), in the quarterfinals Wednesday at 6 p.m.

Allante Pickens popped in five 3-pointers in the first half and had 17 points by intermission, with the Eagles sitting on a 53-32 lead at that point. He finished with six triples and 24 markers. Pickens shot 9-for-10 overall from the field and 6-for-7 on 3-pointers.

Doug Wilson and Devonte Thedford scored 13 points apiece for Kirkwood. Jamal Stephenson netted 12 points off the bench and Connor Kasperbauer contributed 10 points. Wilson had 10 rebounds.

"I thought we played pretty well," said Kirkwood Coach Bryan Petersen. "For spurts, we really executed defensively. And offensively we made some shots."

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Kirkwood - Mens Basketball

Eagles grab No. 1 seed for nationals

Wed - 13 Mar Written by Metro Sports Report

The Kirkwood Eagles have been awarded the No. 1 seed for the NJCAA Division II men's basketball tournament next week at the Mary Miller Center in Danville, Ill.

Coach Bryan Petersen's Eagles (27-4) will face North Central Missouri (18-12) in the first round of the 16-team national tournament on Tuesday at 1 p.m.

The quarterfinals are scheduled for Wednesday, the semifinals on Friday and the championship game on Saturday.

Highland Community College of Kansas was the top-ranked team in the national poll last week, but Highland did not qualify for the national tournament. Kirkwood, which was ranked No. 2 last week, moved into the top spot in the rankings as well as getting the No. 1 seed in the tournament.

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Kirkwood - Mens Basketball

11 Eagles earn regional honors

Tue - 12 Mar Written by Metro Sports Report

Eleven players from the Kirkwood men’s and women’s basketball teams have received postseason honors on the all-regional teams announced Monday.

Doug Wilson was named the Outstanding Player in NJCAA Division II Region XI and led the first-team selections. Allante Pickens joined Wilson on the first team.

Luke Appel was named second team all-region. Devonte Thedford and Connor Kasperbauer were named Honorable Mention.

The Kirkwood men won the regional title Saturday and will play in the national tournament next week in Danville, Ill.

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Kirkwood - Mens Basketball

Kirkwood Coach Bryan Petersen embraces All-American Doug Wilson after the Eagles defeated NIACC in the regional finals Saturday to earn a spot in the national tournament. Wilson is a little bleary-eyed after being named the tournament MVP and regional Player of the Year. (MSR photo by Margaret O'Banion)

Wilson, Eagles soar to nationals

Sat - 09 Mar Written by Jim Ecker

Doug Wilson is a proud man, but he's also a humble man who rarely shows his emotions in public.

That changed Saturday. Dramatically.

First the Kirkwood superstar was named the MVP of the regional tournament and quickly dissolved in tears, only partially obscured by the towel he placed over his face in a failed attempt at privacy.

A few minutes later the 6-foot-7 sophomore from Des Moines was honored as the Outstanding Player for the entire season in Region XI and the tears flowed again.

This all happened after the second-ranked Kirkwood Eagles tamed seventh-ranked NIACC, 84-72, in a slugfest in the regional championship game at Johnson Hall Saturday afternoon.

Wilson poured in 27 points despite missing the final 11 minutes, 22 seconds of the first half with two fouls. He scored 21 of his 27 points in the second half to help the Eagles earn a spot in the NJCAA national tournament.

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Kirkwood - Mens Basketball

No. 2 Eagles reach regional finals

Fri - 08 Mar Written by Jim Ecker

The Kirkwood Eagles have a strong candidate for National Player of the Year with Doug Wilson, but they proved they can win a big game without him playing a big role Thursday night.

The second-ranked Eagles knocked off DMACC, 87-77, in the regional semifinals with Wilson saddled with foul problems for a long stretch of the second half with the game in doubt.

Kirkwood (26-4) will host seventh-ranked NIACC (25-4) in the NJCAA Division II regional finals Saturday at 3 p.m., with a trip to the national tournament to the victor.

Wilson, a 6-foot-7 All-American from Des Moines, picked up his third foul with 16:57 left in the game and headed to the bench with the Eagles clinging to a six-point lead at 42-36.

As it turned out, they had nothing to worry about.

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