The Lower Columbia College men's basketball quest for a third straight NWAACC championship fell just short. Division rival Highline defeated the Red Devils 70-58 Sunday March 12 in the championship game at the Toyota Center in Kennewick. The disapointing loss, just the second of the season for LCC, does not diminish another outstanding season for Jim Roffler's team. After taking the titles in 2004 and 2005, the Devils got all the way back to the final game and fell just short. The Devils set the school record for wins in a season with 31. Germaine Jordan was named the West Division MVP. Omar Krayem was a first-team all-West player as well as the MVP of the West versus South All-Star Game. Nick Moore was a second team West selection. Coach Roffler was the West Coach of the Year. Other sophomores playing huge roles in a great two-year stint were defensive stopper Ryan Campbell, sharpshooter E.J. Schoen, and power forward Joe Womack. This group helped Lower Columbia College to two consecutive championship games, establishing a run of success never before achieved in men's basketball at LCC. The 2005-2006 Red Devils squad is one of the most talented, if not the most talented team in school history.
2006 Pre-Season Outlook
After 50 years of near-misses and no championships, Lower Columbia College has earned back-to-back NWAACC titles. Can the 2005-2006 team do it again?
With two all-NWAACC tourney selections returning in MVP Omar Krayem (13.7 ppg) and 1st=teamer Germain Jordan (17.6 ppg/8.0 rpg), and half-time starters E.J. Schoen (8.7 ppg/46% 3 pt) and Ryan Campbell (43% 3 pt), the cupboard is certainly not bare.
Factor in two transfers in Nick Moore and Joe Womack, redshirts Kyle Jackson and Matt Ohrberg, touted recruits Mickey Polis, Chris Hutton and Anthony Gallagher and it's clear that LCC will contend once again.
A tough non-league schedule with two tournaments at home, the Red Devil Classic and an NWAACC Cross-Over, along with trips to always-tough Mount Hood and Chemeketa, the Devils should be prepared to challenge for a Western Region crown.
If the Red Devils can stay healthy, improve with each game, and develop some team chemistry, this season should be entertaining for LCC fans who have aspirations for a three-peat!
Season tickets are now on sale through the LCC Booster Club. By joining the LCC Booster Club for $100, fans receive tickets to all LCC Men's and Women's home games, plus admission to all LCC Baseball games in the spring. To join, call (360)442-2471.
The Red Devils open up the season Friday November 25 at 8 pm against the Portland Panthers, the nightcap of the first day of the Red Devil Classic at Myklebust Gymnasium. Prior to that game, the Red Devils will be featured in a ceremony where the 2004-2005 championship banner will be unfurled.
Select games are broadcast on AM 1490 KLOG Radio and also on the internet at klog.com. All LCC men's home games are televised live on KLTV channel 44 on Adelphia Cable in the Cowlitz County area.
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