Poor shooting hurts Raiders

Northland defeated the Central Lakes College women's basketball team, 58-44, Sat., Nov. 26 in Brainerd, the second time in 18 days that the Pioneers eluded the Raiders (61-51 Nov. 8). CLC’s Nikki Pearson led the 0-5 Raiders with 13 points in the non-division game. The Raiders’ Jalynn Lamb and Elizabeth Mattson each scored seven points. The Raiders shot just 26 percent from the field and 42 percent from the line, converting just 20 percent from the 3-point arc. Northern-Division Northland (4-2) hit just 29 percent from the floor but made 24 of 32 free throws (77 percent). CLC hosts Fond du Lac Friday at 6 p.m. and St. Cloud Technical Saturday at 1 p.m.

Raider men to 6-0

The NJCAA third-ranked Central Lakes College Raider men's basketball team defeated Northland, 63-42, with great defense and balanced scoring Sat., Nov. 26 to notch win No. 6 against no losses.  Eleven Raiders scored while converting 44 percent from the field and 55 percent from the line. CLC held the Pioneers to 34 percent shooting from the field and 10 percent from the arc. Leading the way for the Raiders was Kevin Kuefler with 10 points, Kwamaine Johnson and Michael Farrington (pictured) with 9 each. Ronnie Kornbaum led the rebounding stats with 6 and Farrington with 5 led in assists.  This was the second win vs. Northland (3-3), which CLC defeated 87-59 on Nov. 8. The Raiders will play Fond du Lac at CLC Friday, Dec. 2 at 8 p.m., and host St. Cloud Tech Saturday, Dec. 3 at 3 p.m.

Game time change

The start time of the Saturday, Nov. 26 basketball games in the Brainerd gym at CLC between Northland and Central Lakes College have been changed to 3 p.m. for the women and 5 p.m. for the men.

Player of the Week

Central Lakes College's Maurice Hernandez, a 6-4 sophomore guard from St. Paul, is the Southern Division Player of the Week in the Minnesota College Athletic Conference. He has been instrumental in the 5-0 start by the Raiders this basketball season. Last week Maurice averaged 24.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, 6.5 steals, and 2.5 assists. Through five games he is averaging 18.4 points and fourth in Southern Division scoring, converting 53.5 percent of his shots. He is third in rebounding with 8.4 per game. Michael Farrington and Maurice are averaging 3 steals per game as leaders in that category among Southern Division players.

Game canceled

The Tuesday women's basketball game scheduled at Central Lakes College between the Raiders and the Concordia College (Moorhead) junior varsity has been canceled due to lack of Concordia players. It will not be re-scheduled. Next games for CLC basketball will be Saturday, Nov. 26 with the Northland Pioneers coming to Brainerd. The women play at 5 p.m. and the men will follow at 7 p.m.

Raiders lose bowl game

Central Lakes College fell, 42-12, to Iowa Central in the Graphic Edge Bowl today in Cedar Falls,Iowa. It was the third straight defeat in as many bowl game appearances for Coach Greg Medeck's Raiders, who finished the 2011 season with a 7-3 record. The Tritons (6-4) led, 28-0 at halftime, using a pair of fumbles by QB Carson Wessinger (12-27-1-137 yds.) and a number of defensive lapses to dominate play. In the second half the spread went to 42-0 before the Raiders got untracked and into Triton territory. Interceptions and a poor punt stymied CLC until the fourth quarter. The Raiders marched 66 yards in 8 plays to get their first TD on 26-yard Wessinger-John Ulrich pass but missed the point-after to trail 42-6 with 8 minutes to go. Jordan Hayes (11-28) ran one yard for the last TD with 2:34 left. CLC had five turnovers and just 33 yards of total offense through three quarters. The winners outgained CLC, 358-199. "We just ran into a very good football team," said Coach Medeck. ICCC has now won six straight bowl games, mainly in the "friendly" confines of the UNI-Dome.

Men win fifth, women lose fourth

The Central Lakes College men's basketball team defeated the Bismarck State College Mystics, 89-65, for their fifth straight win Sat., Nov. 19 in the Warren Arman Classic, Bismarck, N.D. They started slowly and sent the hosts to the free-throw line much of the first half before taking a 36-27 lead on the strength of steals by Cody Hofmann and Michael Farrington and inside rebounding. Kahreem Horsley's put-back and three-pointer near the end of the half gave the Raiders a 36-22 lead before the Mystics closed the gap with free throws. Ronnie Kornbaum's outside shooting and some timely free throws propelled a second-half burst as CLC led 65-46 at the 10-minute mark and 85-61 with 2:26 to go. The CLC women lost their fourth straight, 86-42, to the BSC team. Nikki Pearson scored 12 points, Jalynn Lamb had 9 rebounds, and Emily Weber had 7 rebounds for CLC.

Raiders win fourth

BISMARCK — The Central Lakes College men's basketball team created 31 turnovers en route to a 81-62 win over United Tribes in the first round of the Warren Arman Memorial Classic Friday, Nov. 18. Maurice Hernandez tallied 26 points, Kwamaine Johnson 17 points, six assists and five steals, and Ronnie Kornbaum pumped four 3-pointers to finish with 17 points. The Raiders out-rebounded the United Tribes 37-33. The Raiders (4-0) play Bismarck State today at 4 p.m., followed by the CLC women vs. Bismarck State at 6 p.m.

Women lose

The Central Lakes College women's basketball team lost to United Tribes Technical College of Bismarck, 73-62, Friday, Nov. 18 in the Warren Arman Classic at Bismarck State. It was an error-filled game as 35 Raider turnovers led to 27 points for the Thunderbirds. The winners took an early lead and remained a step ahead of CLC all the way. CLC's Jalynn Lamb led all scorers with 16 points. Betsy Helmeke added 10, followed by Lindsey Roos, Lena Montano and Nikki Pearson with nine each. Emily Weber had nine rebounds. The 0-3 Raiders next play the host Mystics of Bismarck State Saturday at 6 p.m. after the men's game at 4 p.m.

Basketball webcast

The Raider men's and women's basketball games at the Warren Arman Classic Invitational at Bismarck State in North Dakota will be LIVE VIDEO streamed on the Internet at the following website: http://www.ihigh.com/bismarckstatecollege/
Games are
Friday (today) 2 p.m., CLC women vs. United Tribes
4 p.m., CLC men vs. United Tribes
Saturday (tomorrow) 4 p.m., CLC women vs. Bismarck State
6 p.m., CLC men vs. Bismarck State

Bowl game on Internet

The Central Lakes College football team's 11 a.m. Sunday Graphic Edge Bowl game vs. Iowa Central in Cedar Falls, Iowa, will be available for viewing as live video at the following site:

www.ihigh.com/njcaatv and at www.ihigh.com/iccac

Basketball at Itasca

MEN
The undefeated (3-0) Central Lakes College men's basketball team upended Itasca, 81-52, Tuesday at Grand Rapids in a non-division triumph. Thirteen Raiders scored, led by Maurice Hernandez with 18 and Kevin Kuefler (pictured) with 15 (plus nine rebounds). CLC committed just 11 turnovers. The rest of the scoring: Alonzo Williams 2, Cody Hofmann 7, Michael Farrington 6, Ronnie Kornbaum 7, Roberto Lopez 3, Kwamaine Johnson 1, Brandon Davis 4, Matt Christenson 4, Michael Lindsay 8, Brent Koehler 4, Dylan Moorlag 2. CLC shot 47 percent from the field, 35 percent from beyond the arc (6-17), and 65 percent from the line. Next: at Bismarck, N.D., Friday, 4 p.m.
WOMEN
Lindsey Roos (pictured) scored 21 points for the Raider women, but the Itasca Vikings rallied for a 58-55 non-division win. Nikki Pearson had 10 points and eight rebounds for CLC, which led 26-25 at the half. The Raiders were 9-10 from the foul line. Elizabeth Mattson scored 10 points and Jalynn Lamb added six. Big Randa Glazier, one of the outstanding veterans in the MCAC, had 26 for the winners. The Raiders (0-2) next are at the Warren Arman Classic, Bismarck, N.D., for a 2 p.m. game Friday.

Raiders honored

Blaine sophomore Melissa Widman of Central Lakes College was named to the Minnesota College Athletic Conference All-State volleyball team. She was also First Team All-Northern Division. In the regular season, Melissa averaged 2.4 kills per game, helping CLC to an 11-3 record in the Northern Division of the MCAC, 16-11 overall. Freshmen Hayley Hornick of New Ulm and Carlie Sweet of Brainerd were named to the All-Northern Division Second Team. CLC finished its 2011 season at Thief River Falls Oct. 28, losing a first-round Region 13B battle to Itasca in three games. Itasca (19-11) lost to Northland (24-2) in the championship, 3-1, so Northland earned the national tournament berth from 13B. CLC athletes among the Northern Division statistical leaders -- the Top 10 -- this season were Carlie in attack percentage and kills, Alice Widmark in serving aces, Melissa in kills, Hayley in digs, and Abbi Knutson in set assists.

All-Division picks

Six Central Lakes College Raiders were named to the Minnesota College Athletic Conference Southern Division football first team. First-team elections were Frank Mays, DL, Bemidji; Dan Ngandali, DB, Buffalo; Averey Duncan, WR, St. Bernard’s; Greg Wright, LB, Milaca; Jared Hoemberg, DB, Bertha-Hewitt; and Ryan Tri, WR, Eden Valley-Watkins. Making the second team were Riley Kampsen, OL, Paynesville; Austin Manzey, LB, Watertown (S.D.); Jake Scherer, OL, Eden Valley-Watkins; Taz Seibert, RB, Norwood-Young America; and Aaron White, RB, Menomonie (Wis.). Receiving honorable mention were Dominique Murphy, DB, Sioux Falls (S.D.); Peter Stenger, DL, Eden Valley-Watkins; Jordan Bialke, LB, Foley; Dustin Yorek, OL, Little Falls; and Matt Mogere, DB, Monticello. Central Lakes College (7-2) plays Iowa Central Community College(5-4) in the Graphic Edge Bowl at the UNI Dome in Cedar Falls, Iowa, 11 a.m. Nov. 20.

Raiders win close one

The Central Lakes College men's basketball team improved to 2-0 Saturday, Nov. 12 as the Raiders defeated the Quakerdale Promise Academy (New Providence, Iowa, record 3-5) Eagles, 59-57, in the CLC gym. Sophomore Maurice Hernandez hit the winning basket with 1 second to go, taking a perfect pass from Michael Farrington as he drove to the basket with 6 seconds left. The Raiders' leading scorer was sophomore Kwamaine Johnson with 12, followed by Maurice with 11. Leading rebounders were Kevin Kuefler with 7 and Maurice with 9, and assist leader was Michael with 6. This was the first meeting between CLC and Quakerdale, which last season (first year of basketball) won the National Invitational Prep/Post Grad Championship.

Bowl game

The 15th-ranked Central Lakes College football team (NJCAA Div. III, Nov. 8) has accepted an invitation to play in the 2011 Graphic Edge Bowl game Nov. 20 in Cedar Falls, Iowa. The Raiders will play unranked Iowa Central Community College of Fort Dodge at 11 a.m. in the UNI Dome on the campus of the University of Northern Iowa. The Raiders have a 7-2 record and ICCC is 5-4. The Tritons compete in the eight-team Midwest Football Conference, which includes Ellsworth and Iowa Western (No. 11 in NJCAA poll ) from the Hawkeye state, DuPage, Harper, and Joliet from Illinois, 11-0 champion Grand Rapids of Michigan (No. 4 in NJCAA poll), and North Dakota State College of Science, Wahpeton, N.D. Two years ago Ellsworth defeated CLC, 64-7. In the 3 p.m. Graphic Edge Bowl game, tenth-ranked 11-0 Rochester, the 2011 champion of the Minnesota College Athletic Conference (45-14 vs. Northland) will play Iowa Western (8-2).

Basketball opener results

MEN
The Central Lakes College men's basketball team defeated Northland, 87-59, Tuesday night at Thief River Falls, led by Maurice Hernandez (16 points), Michael Farrington (15), and Roberto Lopez (15). "It was a great team effort," said CLC Coach Jim Russell, who noted that 50 of his team's 87 points were scored by non-starters. “We got a lot of fast break points and got Northland to turn the ball over 30 times. We took care of the basketball ourselves and only had 10 turnovers.” Brandon Davis added eight points and led with six rebounds. Michael turned in eight assists. Roberto was five of six from the field and the Raiders made 33 of 63 shots (52 percent) including eight of 16 from three-point range.
WOMEN
The CLC women dropped their first game to the Northland Pioneers, 61-51, after taking an early 10-point lead over the home team. Elizabeth Nelson scored 19 points and Nikki Pearson added another 18. “We were up 12-2 in the first five minutes,” said Raider Coach Dennis Eastman, “and then we let our guard down and let them back in the game.” Nikki and Lena Montano each pulled down seven rebounds for the Raiders who shot only 36 percent (21-59) from the field and 50% from the line.“Our biggest thing was turnovers” said Dennis. “We had 25 of them, 10 of them unforced. “Our freshmen got a taste for the speed of a college game and we now know what we have to work on. It was a good learning experience for the first game.”

First games tonight

The 2011-12 Central Lakes College basketball season starts at Thief River Falls tonight (Tues., Nov. 8), when the Raiders battle the Northland Pioneers. Gametime is 6 p.m. for the women and 8 p.m. for the men. The CLC women have more veterans than they had at this time last season, Five sophomores are on the 11-player roster announced by Coach Dennis Eastman. All are from the local area: Milaca to New York Mills. Nikki Pearson is the only returning CLC starter from a team that went 8-19. Northland has one returning starter from a team that was 15-13 last year. The CLC men are coming off a 26-3 record season -- most wins ever in a single season -- but they would like to go further than they did last season, when they lost to Anoka-Ramsey in the semi-finals of the state tournament. Coach Jim Russell has 17 players on the roster, which is the most ever. Their goal: the NJCAA tournament. Kwamaine Johnson (pictured) is the lone returning CLC starter. Northland returns 3 starters from a 19-9 season.