Sea Devils Fall Short At National Tournament

Courtesy of Eric Detweiler
Star News

Hutchinson, KS - The Cape Fear Community College men's basketball team had no use for the Cinderella tag at the NJCAA Division I Tournament. Coach Ryan Mantlo didn't want his Sea Devils to think like underdogs, even when they were the lowest seed left on the national stage.|

No. 23 CFCC couldn't spring another surprise Wednesday, falling 96-85 to seventh-seeded Northwest (Wyo.) College in a second-round matchup at Hutchinson (Kan.) Sports Arena.

The Sea Devils trimmed a 19-point deficit down to five with less than two minutes left but couldn't get any closer. The upset bid fell short, despite Anthony Vanhook's 31 points and 11 rebounds. The Trappers move on to meet Northwest Florida State in the round of eight.

"We thought we deserved to be here," Mantlo said. "By the time you're in that Sweet 16 category, it's anybody's game. We thought we matched up really well with them."

CFCC (24-9) validated its place in a decorated field Monday, surging late to down No. 10 John A. Logan College. The Sea Devils hung around Wednesday, but Northwest (31-4) simply had too much firepower, paced on both ends by Chris Boucher. The 6-foot-10 center finished with 29 points, 16 rebounds and 11 blocks.

Without a starter taller than 6-foot-4, CFCC had few answers for Boucher. The athletic big man from Quebec threw down several impressive dunks but also stepped out to hit three 3-pointers.

William Desilien (30 points, eight rebounds, 11 turnovers) dominated the ball for Northwest, but good things happened almost every time Boucher got involved.

As important, Boucher made it difficult for CFCC to get anything around the rim. The Sea Devils started settling for jumpers after he swatted a slew of early layups.

"He's one of the best shot blockers I've seen," Mantlo said. "That's even when I played at the Division I level."

Northwest led wire-to-wire, but CFCC kept the Trappers from pulling away too far. The Sea Devils dodged heavy foul trouble and stayed in it thanks to 17 second-chance points off 22 offensive rebounds and a defense that forced 24 turnovers.

Vanhook carried CFCC's offense in the first half with his teammates misfiring from the perimeter. The 6-4 forward had to get creative to avoid Boucher. T.J. Evans heated up eventually, scoring 18 of his 20 points after halftime.

CFCC seemed ready to wilt, down 54-35 with 16:11 left. Instead the Region 10 champs scored 12 of the next 14 points and kept pushing. They drew within 86-81 on Paris Manning's dunk through contact with 1:42 left, but he couldn't complete the 3-point play. The Trappers were able to protect the ball from there and avoid a dramatic finish.

The loss snapped CFCC's 11-game winning streak. It wasn't the ending Mantlo envisioned for a veteran group, but the solid showing in Kansas felt like another step forward for the program.

"There were a lot of tears, but it was tears of joy in knowing that we have such a family atmosphere built at Cape Fear," Mantlo said. "That's going to continue with the foundation that these guys built."