RRCC faces No. 2 Rochester in first round
Dieter Humbert had one major goal for the Rainy River Community College men’s basketball program when he took it over in 2007 — win a national championship in five years.
It’s now going to have to be four years.
“My vision for this program was to win a national championship in five years, and now that I’m going to the (women’s program), we gotta get it done this year, so we have to go for it,” Humbert said Tuesday, three days before the MCAC State Tournament begins at Anoka-Ramsey Community College.
The Voyageurs (7-5, 8-16) crushed Fond Du Lac in the second half Saturday to win the regular season finale 95-74. RRCC trailed 41-40 at the break. Derek Scully scored a game-high 24 points and added 10 rebounds for a double-double. Brandon Bradley had 17 points, Evan Ziegler posted 15 points and Sheldon Esdelle-Blackburn and Andre McWay tallied 13 points apiece.
However, Fond du Lac — the last-place finisher in the Northern Division — is a far cry from the Voyageurs’ first-round opponent at state.
Rochester (10-2, 25-2) finished tied for first in the Southern Division and is currently ranked No. 2 in the nation in Division III of the NJCAA. Rochester tied Central Lakes (10-2, 25-2) — No. 4 in the nation — for the division crown, but lost in a coin flip to get the top seed. Both teams beat each other and lost to third-place Anoka-Ramsey (8-4, 20-7) — No. 11 in the nation — during the regular season to force the coin flip.
“It’s like anything. You have to beat the best,” Humbert said.
The Voyageurs lost to Rochester 94-78 during the regular season, but Humbert admitted his squad played even with the MCAC power after falling behind 15-0 over the first five minutes.
“Our guys are confident,” Humbert said. “They know they can beat this team if we play well.”
The winner gets the winner between Northland (11-1, 18-8) and Fergus Falls (7-5, 20-7) in the second round. RRCC, in its second-straight state tournament, lost to Rochester in last year’s state tournament.
“We’re just going to go out there and leave it all on the floor,” Humbert said.
