Mighty Oaks get in

Salem CC draws the fourth seed, first-round bye in the JUCO Division III national tournamentd

JUCO DIVISION III TOURNAMENT
March 11-14, Herkimer, N.Y.
March 11
No. 8 Northampton (27-4) vs. No. 9 Genesee (23-7), noon
No. 5 Dallas Eastfield (20-9) vs. No. 12 Joliet (15-11), 2 p.m.
No. 7 Dutchess (26-4) vs. No. 10 Dallas-Richland (20-9), 4 p.m.
No. 6 Montgomery County (21-4) vs. No. 11 Ridgewater, (22-6) 6 p.m.
March 12
Northampton-Genesee winner vs. No. 1 Northern Essex (30-3), 2 p.m.
Dallas Eastfield-Joliet winner vs. No. 4 Salem (30-2), 4 p.m.
Dutchess-Dallas Richland winner vs. No. 2 Riverland (29-2), 6 p.m.
Montco-Ridgewater winner vs. No. 3 Dallas North Lake (22-10), 8 p.m.
At-large berths in italics

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

CARNEYS POINT — Some anxious few days turned into cheers of joy (relief) Wednesday when the Salem CC basketball team learned it had received one of four at-large bids to the NJCAA Division III national tournament next week in Herkimer, N.Y.

The Mighty Oaks (30-2), No. 1 in the country at the end of the regular season but upset in their district championship game, were installed as the No. 4 seed.

They will play the Dallas Eastfield-Joliet winner March 12, 4 p.m. after drawing a first-round bye. Ironically, Mighty Oaks coach Mike Green was watching Joliet on his office TV before practice.

The Mighty Oaks had heard rumors they were getting in earlier in the day, which made for a spirited practice Wednesday afternoon, but their spot didn’t become official until the selection show aired this evening. The team watched the show in the gym after practice.

The other top four seeds are No. 1 Northern Essex, No. 3 Riverland (Salem’s opening round opponent last year) and No. 3 Dallas North Lake. The other at-large bids went to Dallas Eastfield, Dallas Richland and Ridgewater.

This story will be updated.