Caleb Muia scored 23 points and hauled in a dozen rebounds to lead the Raiders to an 80-76 overtime home win over McCook Community College on Tuesday night.
CCC jumped out to a 13-7 lead, which was followed by a 13-5 run by the Indians to give them a 21-20 lead with 8:11 to play in the first half. With under five minutes to play, the score was tied at 26 apiece and CCC outscored McCook 12-7 to take a 38-33 lead into the locker room.
In the second half, McCook built a 53-46 lead over eight minutes. CCC kept close and tied the score at 63-63 with 3:28 to play. With time winding down, McCook’s Julian Lual hit a jump shot with 22 seconds remaining to give the Indians a 68-65 advantage. Muia nailed a three-point bucket with nine seconds to tie the score at 68 apiece, forcing the extra session. In OT, CCC took control with an 8-2 run en route to the 80-76 victory.
CCC’s Kevin Cook scored a dozen points while Dwight Glover Jr. and Tredyn Prososki each scored 11 points.
“I am really proud of our team,” said CCC head coach John Ritzdorf. “We made clutch plays down the stretch and everyone contributed. Caleb played great. We know he’s capable of being a big-time player and he really showed that tonight.”
The Raiders have now won three straight and sport a record of 7-1 heading into this weekend’s Pinnacle Bank Thanksgiving Classic at the Raider Fieldhouse. On Saturday at 3 p.m., CCC will battle North Iowa Area Community College. On Sunday at 5 p.m., the Raiders will take on Iowa Lakes Community College.
