Rockford's Independent Newspaper

College Hoops: Rock Valley men advance to national semifinals

Staff Report

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Fifth-seeded Rock Valley College advanced to the semifinals in the NJCAA DIII Men’s Basketball Championship by clipping No. 4 seed Bunker Hill 64-56 at Rochester Regional Sports Center Thursday.

The Golden Eagles will face No. 8 Central Lakes at 7 p.m. Friday, March 15. The championship game is Saturday in Rochester.

“We came ready to fight,” coach Tim Sandquist said, adding that he was eager to get his team back on the court. “It had been 12 days since we last played, and our guys were itching to play. We were a little rusty early on but found our groove in the second half.”

With a strong bench to fill in as needed, Rock Valley was able to maintain their defensive pressure and capitalize when needed.

“Central Lakes is a well-coached team that has some good scorers,” Sandquist said of Friday’s matchup. “We’re going to have to be ready to have another great defensive performance tomorrow.”

Rock Valley has not competed in the national tournament since 2016. R.

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