(Editor's note: DCC Athletics release)
GLENDIVE, Mont. - Dawson Community College will host Indian Hills Community College Saturday night for a ticket to the national tournament at Hutchinson Sports Arena in Hutchinson, Kansas April 19-24. Saturday's showdown will decide the winner of this year's National Junior College Athletic Association Division 1 North Central District Championship in Glendive.
Indian Hills has qualified for the National Tournament 16 times, including the past six seasons. They are 27-17 all-time at the National Tournament and have won 3 National Championships and finished runner-up in 2014. They have won 10 consecutive Region XI regular season titles and have sent 34 players to the Division 1 level since 2015.
Last year in Iowa, Indian Hills defeated Dawson in the District Championship 92-65. They were the overall #2 seed heading into Nationals before it was cancelled because of COVID.
Dawson has won back to back Mon-Dak Conference Championships as well as back to back Region XIII titles. They are looking for their first National Tournament appearance in 63 years of showcasing basketball.
Dawson is 22-2 on the season and qualified for the District Championship by beating North Dakota State College of Science in the Region Championship Monday 60-56. Indian Hills is 21-2 overall and qualified for the District Championship by defeating Southeastern Community College 84-65 on Tuesday. They are currently ranked #6 in the country for Division I.
Glendive's Toepke Center is allowing 75% capacity so the first 1,500 fans will be admitted. All tickets can be purchased at the entrance. No advance ticket sales are available. Fans may access the livestream at
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfWgZHeshYVCA5YWRSowuFA or through www.gohillstv.com
Three DCC men's players were also named All-Conference for the Mon-Dak Conference.
Charles Lampten and Michael Jok were named to the first team and Jajuan Tot was named second team. These three individuals helped the Bucs go 20-2 in the regular season and win the conference championship. Last night they also clinched the Region XIII Championship with a 60-56 win over North Dakota State College of Science.
Lampten is a 6’11 center from Roanoke, Texas. He was one of only two returners from last year’s team and has helped Dawson win 49 games over the past two years, including an astounding 40-2 record vs. Mon-Dak Conference teams. He has collected five championship trophies along the way. Lampten is averaging 10.5 points, 9 rebounds and 2.9 blocks per game while shooting 52% from the field. He is in the top ten in the nation in rebounds and blocks. He reached double figure scoring in 13 games and double figure rebounds in 7 games. He also had at least 1 block in every game he played. Lampten led the conference in total rebounds per game, offensive rebounds per game and blocked shots per game. He was also in the top ten in shooting percentage. Dawson Coach Joe Peterson commented, “Charles has helped us win a lot of games. He impacts the game in so many different ways that don’t even show up in a box score. Our defense has been exceptional this year because he protects the rim so well.”
Michael Jok is a 6’3 freshman from Melbourne, Australia. He was Dawson’s leading scorer, averaging 11.5 points per game to go along with 6.2 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.7 steals. Jok also shot 80.8% from the free throw line which was 2nd best in the conference. He scored in double figures in 16 games this year, including the past six games. His season high was 20 points which he did twice. His season high in rebounds was 14 against Dakota College. In the Region Championship on Monday, he contributed 12 points and 12 rebounds. Peterson shared, “Mike is a great teammate and sometimes is too unselfish. He has the ability to score, pass, defend and rebound and he can really play any position on the floor. His versatility has been a huge positive for us this year.”
Jajuan Tot is a 5’10 guard from Dallas, Texas. Tot averaged 8.6 points, 2.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.8 steals per game while shooting 48% from the field and 48% from 3-point range. He was 2nd in the conference in steals per game and 2nd in 3 point shooting percentage. He also had one of the highest shooting percentages in the conference for a guard. Tot scored over 8 points in 17 of Dawson’s 24 games, including the last ten games. Coach Peterson added, “Jajuan is so efficient with what he does. He takes care of the ball, runs the show and influences the game on both sides of the ball. We are a different team when he is on the floor.”
After a successful winning season, two Lady Buccaneers also earned conference accolades.
Ashya Klopfenstein and Tamiya Francis were named to the 2021 First Team All-Conference team. The sophomores led Dawson to the Region 13 Championship game, ending their season 17-4 in conference and 19-5 overall. The Lady Buccaneers placed second in the Mon-Dak conference.
Ashya Klopfenstein is a 6’1 forward from Howe, Indiana. She was named Player of the Week and recorded 15 double doubles out of the 22 games she played in this season. In conference, Klopfenstein ranked #3 in scoring (17 ppg), rebounding (11rpg), and total rebounds (230); #4 in offensive rebounding, #3 in defensive rebounding, #3 in blocks, #1 in field goal percentage (56%), and #2 in steals (3.0 spg). Her highest field goal percentage in a game this season was 89%. She also recorded a season high of 16 rebounds in two separate games. Head Coach Romeo Lagmay, Jr. commented, “Ashya is a complete difference maker on both ends of the court. She can dribble from rim to rim and finish, read the passing lanes well and block shots from guards attacking the basket. She is also great at deflecting so many passes and hustling hard on every play. Ashya is one of our leaders and that is why we had great team success.”
Tamiya Francis is a 5’3 point guard from Toronto, Ontario. Tamiya as well was named Player of the Week and tied the school record for the most steals in one game with 10. She recorded a career high of 34 points. Tamiya was ranked #5 in conference with 16 points per game. She also ranks #4 with 387 points, and #4 in steals. Coach Lagmay added, “Tamiya is a one person press breaker and will not let you breathe while playing defense on the ball. There were times she had 10 second violation calls on her opponent who could not bring the ball up the court. She is a good leader who truly cares about her team, and she goes 100% in her work ethic. She is a true captain who led her team with full confidence.”
