Brookdale Tops #1 Sandhills CC, Wins 3rd National Championship In 10 Years

Herkimer, NY - The Brookdale Jersey Blues (30-3) defeated the #1 seeded Sandhills Community College Flyers (NC) 90-82 to win the 2023 NJCAA Division IIII Men's Basketball Championship for the third time in 10 years.

The gritty third-seeded Jersey Blues surpassed the #11 seed College of Dupage Chaparrals 77-62 in the quarterfinals, and proceeded to take down the #10 Yellowjackets of Rochester Community & Technical College in the semifinals with a final score of 76-62. With stats to prove, the Blues matched up tight with the Sandhills Flyers, but Brookdale dug deep and fought hard with four scoring in double figures.

Sophomore point guard, Kevin Mateo, turned it up, playing the game of his season by scoring a game-high 31 points with four steals to earn himself the Tournament MVP. Freshman forward, Darnell Askew, was amazing with putbacks the entire season and did not disappoint in the finals either. Askew scored 20 points, ripped nine rebounds, six offensive, and dished out four assists. The smooth fade away jumpers from freshman guard, Nick Williams, were clutch, as he posted 18 points, nine rebounds, and four assists. Sophomore forward Niles Halliburton, hit his sweet spot on the floor and was strong underneath as he posted a double-double of 11 points and 12 rebounds.