Player of Week

For the third time this season Central Lakes College's Maurice Hernandez has been named Player of the Week in the Southern Division of the Minnesota College Athletic Conference. For the week ending Jan. 28, Maurice averaged 22.5 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 assists. He scored a career-high 31 points Jan. 28 vs. M State, including 5 of 6 from 3-point range, where he ranks sixth in the Division (40.5%). Maurice leads the Division in scoring with 365 points, 18.3 per game. He leads in rebounds with 8.1 per game. He is fifth in two-point shots at 55.6%. He is a sophomore from St. Paul.

Raiders defeat Spartans

Men
Maurice Hernandez scored 31 points to lead the Central Lakes College men to a 92-66 Southern Division win over the Minnesota State Community and Technical College Spartans Sat., Jan. 28 in Brainerd. It was the first Division loss in five starts for the team from Fergus Falls. The Raiders got 17 points from Kwamaine Johnson and 13 from Brandon Davis. CLC hit 11 of 20 three-pointers, 7 of 9 in the last half as the winners outscored the losers, 55-28. Maurice made 5 of 6 from beyond the arc to go with 8 rebounds and 4 assists in a solid all-around effort. M State shot 47 percent on the day after a 54% first half, and CLC converted 54% of its shots, 64% in the second half. Kwamaine had 5 assists, Michael Farrington 10. Jesse Fleming added 3 blocked shots to go with 8 points on 50% shooting from the field and 100% at the line. The Raiders held a 33-26 edge on the boards. CLC takes a 19-1 record to Rochester Wed., Feb. 1.

Women

The Raider women built a 27-17 halftime lead and held off the Spartans for a 65-52 win in the opener Jan. 28. It was one of the finest shooting games of the season for CLC, which made all 16 free throw attempts. Nikki Pearson scored 21 and JaLynn Lamb 18 to go with 6 rebounds. Lindsey Roos had 7 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 steals  for the winners, who shot 48% for the game vs. M State's 29%. Elizabeth Mattson added 3 steals and 4 rebounds. Hannah Lemberg scored 9 points. The Raiders now are 8-10 heading to Rochester for the next Southern Division upset opportunity.

First loss for CLC men's team

Photo courtesy of  Brian Korthals, Worthington Daily Globe

Men
Minnesota West trailed 16-1 six minutes in and 37-24 at the half but ended the top-ranked Raiders' 18-game winning streak in a 63-61 upset in a Minnesota College Athletic Conference Southern Division game at Worthington Wed., Jan. 25. Brandon Davis led the Raider scoring with 15 points, followed by Maurice Hernandez with 14, and Kwamaine Johnson and Ronnie Kornbaum with 11 each. CLC shot just 31 percent from the floor (21-67) and couldn't find the outside shot, making just 5 of 23 (21 percent) in the coldest output of an otherwise stellar campaign. The Bluejays, who out-rebounded CLC, 48-40, raised their record to 9-8, 3-1 in the Division to share the runner-up spot with CLC. Minnesota State Community and Technical College (Fergus Falls), which edged Riverland Wednesday, 79-77, leads the Division at 4-0. The Spartans of M State (13-6) come to Brainerd Saturday for a huge showdown and a chance for the nationally-ranked Raiders (18-1) to start a new win streak against a traditional hard-nosed rival. Game time is 3 p.m.

Women
Minnesota West Coach Mike Fury notched his 400th win of a 31-year career as head coach of the Lady Jays as the home team defeated our CLC Raiders, 70-35. Through the first 12 minutes, CLC played tough against the 13-6 Southern Division powerhouse, trailing by just 14-10. By the midpoint, the spread grew to 30-16. Early in the second half, CLC challenged the leaders by closing the gap to 30-20. A 28-10 run put the winners out of reach at 58-30 with six minutes left. CLC shot just 23.4 percent to 38.6 percent for the Lady Jays. Nikki Pearson managed 10 points for the Raiders (7-10). M State (10-9) is the next foe for CLC in a Saturday home game at 1 p.m. in Brainerd. Both teams have just one Division win.

Player of Week

Maurice Hernandez of Central Lakes College is the Player of the Week in he Southern Division of the Minnesota College Athletic Conference for the week ending Jan. 21. Maurice is from St. Paul, where he starred at Henry Sibley High School. He is a 6-4 forward for the No. 1-ranked Raiders. He earned the latest honor for his performances in a pair of wins, including the Jan. 18 CLC 74-55 win over Anoka-Ramsey. In that game he scored 26 points, making 10 of 23 shots and 3-6 from beyond the arc. He went 3-4 at the free-throw line. Maurice grabbed 10 rebounds and contributed 2 assists and 2 steals in 37 minutes of action. In the CLC wins over Riverland and A-R Maurice averaged 25.5 ppg and 10.5 rpg. He shot 65% from the field and was 12-14 from the line. Through 17 games, Maurice is averaging 17.3 ppg and 7.8 rpg. The Raiders are 18-0 and next play at Minnesota West Wednesday.

MCAC stats

As the Central Lakes College basketball teams begin the Division stretch of their 2011-12 season, here are some current Minnesota College Athletic Conference stats showing Raiders among the top 10 Division leaders: Men - Points scored, 5. Maurice Hernandez 243, 16.2 ave.; 3-Pt. Shooting, 2. Ronnie Kornbaum 33, 46%; 7. Hernandez 19, 37%, 8. Roberto Lopez 13, 37%; FG Percentage, 2. Michael Farrington 60.6, 5. Hernandez 56.3; 8. Kornbaum 51.8; 10. Brandon Davis 51.6; Rebounds, 6. Hernandez 105, 7.0 ave.; Steals, 1. Farrington 52, 3.5 ave., 3. Kwamaine Johnson 36, 2.4 ave.; 6. Hernandez 32, 2.1 ave.; Assists, 1. Farrington 126, 8.4 ave.; 8. Johnson 46, 3.1 ave. Women - 3-Pt. Shooting, 9. Caitlin Robinson 7, 32%; FG Percentage, 10. Lindsey Roos 46.7; FT Percentage, 5. Nikki Pearson 71.4; Steals, 3. Pearson 34, 2.8 ave.; 4. Roos 31, 2.6 ave.; Assists, 2. Pearson 48, 4.0 ave. Complete standings and stats can be found at http://www.mcac-sports.com/

Winter Classic: Day 2

Men win

The CLC men's team ran its win streak to 15 without a loss in a 92-71 escape of Vermilion Saturday, Jan. 7 in Brainerd. Balanced scoring and points off turnovers were the difference, as three players scored 16 each -- Michael Farrington, Maurice Hernandez, and Kwamaine Johnson  -- Brandon Davis (shown)15, and Kahreem Horsley 12. The winners picked up 22 points off turnovers. The top-ranked Raiders shot 58% from the field, including 11 of 21 from three-point land. Davis made 6 of 8 free throws and blocked 2 shots in one of his best games to date. Farrington hit 6 of 8 from the field and all 3 at the line. The Ironmen had a 38-33 rebound edge and got 33 points from Tayor Smaller (7  from beyond the arc). The biggest lead for CLC was 25 points at 78-53.

Women win

The Raiders defeated Vermilion, 84-35, with four players in double figures: Caitlin Robinson (16), Nikki Pearson and Jalynn Lamb (14 each), and Emily Weber (10). Pearson and Kara Krotzer each had 8 rebounds. Robinson had 3 steals.The winners hit 58% from beyond the arc (7 of 12) and 52.5% on the night (32 of 61) with a 48-26 rebound edge. The biggest lead was 53 points at 81-28. The win lifts the team to 6-7 on the year.

Winter Classic: Day 1

Men win

The Raiders notched a 96-63 win over Hibbing on Friday, Jan. 6 in the Winter Classic Invitational played in the CLC gym. It was their 14th straight triumph. The nation's top-ranked Division III juco team got balanced scoring, led by Maurice Hernandez with 13 points, Ronnie Kornbaum and Brent Koehler with12 each, Brandon Davis and Kahreem Horsley with 11 apiece, and Jesse Fleming with 10 (plus 9 rebounds). Michael Farrington had 10 assists. Each Raider who played also scored. The Raiders led, 46-17, at the half due to many points off turnovers, and they held Hibbing scoreless (0-8) from beyond the arc. Saturday, Jan. 7 CLC will play Vermilion at 6 p.m., a team with several Northern Division-leading players.

Women lose

The Raiders fell to Hibbing, 66-50. Jalynn Lamb had11 points. CLC shot just 34 percent, while the Cardinals hit 45 percent of their shots from the floor and got 27 of their points from beyond the arc. The first time the teams met at Hibbing before the holiday break, CLC won by 44 points. The 5-7 Raiders hope to get back on track Saturday, Jan. 7 at 4 p.m. vs. Vermilion, which has won only two games this season.

Captains lead the way

Central Lakes College men's basketball captains are Ronnie Kornbaum (left), Kevin Kuefler, Maurice Hernandez and Kwamaine Johnson.  Photo: Brainerd Dispatch/Kelly Humphrey

By Shelly Summer, Brainerd Dispatch, Central Lakes College student

For the Central Lakes College Raiders men’s basketball team, ranked No. 1 in NJCAA Division III, captains are ruling the court. Sophomores Maurice Hernandez, Ronnie Kornbaum and Kwamaine Johnson and freshman Kevin Kuefler have led the Raiders to a 13-0 record. “My goal is to bring together kids from all different backgrounds and help them create friendships for life,” CLC coach Jim Russell said. “I want to win, but I also want to create a family environment where everyone is respected. “For me, seeing these four guys lead this team is magical. A common love for the game bridges a lot of the gaps created by their diverse backgrounds. Something I always look for in my captains is heart; putting the good of the team before themselves, and these guys have that.” Complete story below or see link with image: http://brainerddispatch.com/node/17190#.TwB3a1mVrRo