Skip to navigation Skip to content Skip to footer

Cyclones nearly capture tourney championship

Cyclones nearly capture tourney championship

The Cyclones were in good form this weekend, reaching the final championship game in the William R. Bear/Diamond Bros. Insurance Tournament hosted by Highland Community College.

DEC. 13
Moraine Valley started against a tough Marshalltown Community College. It was a total team effort that saw the Cyclones build a 46-35 lead at halftime, going up by as much as 17 points, for the ultimate 86-75 victory.

TJ Lee led the charge with a career-high 34 points. Juvon Crawford added 19 points and nine assists while Jelani McGregor collected 14 points and four rebounds.

DEC. 14
The next day, the Cyclones faced host college Highland Community College. The heated game saw the Cyclones down by 20 points when Head Coach Kyle Huppe was ejected. They battled back, however, to get within 11 at halftime before a monster second half. Moraine Valley held the Cougars to just 27 points while adding 45 of their own for the 81-74 victory, solidifying their place in the tournament final championship.

Another group effort was evident in three Cyclones scoring 19 points – Crawford, Lee and McGregor. Yousef Jarad added 16 points and 13 rebounds.


In the championship game, the Cyclones faced NJCAA Division I No. 25 ranked Moberly Area Community College. The Cyclones were unfazed and gave the Greyhounds a run for their money. The most that Moberly led by was only eight points. At halftime, Moraine Valley had tied the score at 43. It was an even flow as the teams tied 11 times in this battle. However, it was the Greyhounds that eventually pulled away with the narrow 90-84 victory for their seventh tournament championship.

McGregor came away with 27 points and five rebounds. Crawford added 19 points and 10 assists. Deven Jiles added 16 points and led with seven rebounds. Amarion Johnson collected 12 points and nine blocks.

For his efforts, Crawford earned All-Tournament Team honors, averaging 19 points and 8.5 assists per game.