Warrior's season ends in NCCAA Central Region Championship

The Sterling College Warriors men's basketball ended their season in a heartbreaking, buzzer-beater, 78-76 loss to College of the Ozarks in the NCCAA Central Region Championship game on Tuesday, March 11.

The Warriors got off to a quick start leading for the opening ten minutes of play. However, the Bobcats were able to battle back and take the 42-41 edge headed into the break.

Sterling came out to take the lead back within the first minutes of the second half. The Warriors largest lead of the second half came with six minutes when Julian Smith sunk a pair of free throws to extend the lead to 10, 71-61.

The Bobcats continued to stick around, and a big three pointer from Andrew Dalton tied up the score at 76.

An empty possession from Sterling put the Warriors on their heals as College of the Ozarks used the final 17 seconds of play to put Dalton in position to hit the buzzer beater from the elbow to end the Warrior's season.

Despite the loss, Sterling still had shining moments. Mooch Austin led all scorers with 28 points and four assists. Smith contributed 16 points of his own while grabbing six rebounds.

Defensively, Elias Ngoga led the Warriors in rebounding with seven and had the sole block of the game. Javion Reed also contributed six rebounds while also dishing out three assists.

The Warriors finished the season with an overall record of 15-15.

Be sure to check for news and updates on Sterling Warrior Athletics on Facebook (/SCWarriors), Twitter (@SterlingCSports), and Instagram (sterlingcsports), as well as the hashtag #SwordsUp. Watch the Warriors' live home events on the Sterling College Sports Network.