Glendale Looking for District 1 Title

Glendale moved a step closer to the NJCAA District 1 Division 2 Championship and the NJCAA Division 2 National Championship Tournament with an impressive 106-101 victory over Rose State College in the District semifinals.

Both teams came out with guns blazin', combining for twelve 3-pointers in the first half. The lead changed hands several times before Glendale opened a 56-51 cushion at the break.

The Gauchos maintained their lead, occasionally pushing it to as many as 10 points. Rose State put out a furious rally with about five minutes to go and had a short lived 95-94 lead. Andrew Ellsworth hit 1 of his 4 threes on the next possession and Glendale hung on by hitting 10-of-12 free throws in the last two minutes of the game.

Glendale hosts Johnson County (KS) on Saturday, March 6, at 7:30 pm for the District 1 Division 2 crown.

GLENDALE'S LEADING SCORERS: Eric Bloom -- 25 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists; Andrew Ellsworth -- 17 points and 3 assists; Richie Trojanek -- 16 points and 7 rebounds; Sy Tomerlin -- 15 points and 5 rebounds; Kevin Stevenson -- 13 points and 11 rebounds; Ryan Nelson -- 10 points, 12 assists and 4 steals.

ROSE STATE COLLEGE'S LEADING SCORER: Jaron Jefferson -- 23 points and 5 rebounds; Joseph Brown -- 19 points, 2 assists and 2 steals; Cornelius Manning -- 19 points and 7 rebounds; Martin Stringer -- 12 points and 4 rebounds; Kerry Coleman -- 12 points and 7 assists