College basketball: Dutchess Community College wins Region 15 title, heads to nationals

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By this point, there was the pressure of expectations and their own reputation. Through its dominance, the Dutchess Community College men’s basketball had earned the hype and answered any questions about its place within the conference.

So, in a season that has been a runaway success, failure here would’ve been tantamount to fumbling at the goal line. In their estimation.

“We didn’t want to come this far just to lose,” sophomore Amadou Diallo said. “It wasn’t easy to get all these wins and get the No. 1 (seed). We needed to win it all or it would’ve felt like a waste.”

The Dutchess Community College men’s basketball team defeated Monroe to win the Region 15 championship on March, 2, 2025.

The Falcons put to rest those fears, and their opponents, rolling through the Region 15 tournament last weekend to capture their second championship in three years.

Dutchess beat third-seeded Monroe, 88-81, Sunday in the final at Kingsborough Community College in Brooklyn. The reaction afterward, Diallo said, was a feeling of fulfillment in “getting the job done,” and a bit of relief.

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“I was pumped and excited, of course, but this is something we expected to do,” said Robert Piano, who was named Region 15 Coach of the Year. “We had an idea what we had with this roster and, we talked about it in August, that we expect to be great.”

Dutchess Community College guard Amadou Diallo drives toward the basket against Queensborough CC during a Feb. 8, 2025 men’s basketball game.

The Falcons (25-1) lived up to their own lofty expectations, throttling most opponents in the regular season and earning a national No. 1 ranking last month. They advance to the NJCAA Division III men’s basketball championship that runs March 12-15 at Herkimer Community College.

“We’re peaking right now and playing our best basketball,” Piano said….

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/article/college-basketball-dutchess-community-college-110923648.html

Author : Poughkeepsie Journal

Publish date : 2025-03-04 11:09:00

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