The Central Community College men's basketball team concluded the 2017-18 season with a 108-86 loss to Dakota County Technical College in the District VII championship game on Saturday.

The Raiders got off to a good start, but then the Blue Knights took control by going 11-for-18 from three-point range in the first half on the way to a 55-38 halftime lead. DCTC continued the momentum in the second half to secure its second consecutive trip to the NJCAA National Tournament.

"Saturday was a difficult challenge," said CCC head coach Jerry Drymon. "We ran into a team that had won 14 of their last 15 and was playing with a high level of confidence. We really struggled all game to make open shots and that was really the difference in the game."

Marquis Dotson led the Raiders in scoring with 16 points. Latrell Talley and Bennett Nelson each logged double-doubles. Talley totaled 14 points and a dozen rebounds, while Nelson recorded 13 points and 12 rebounds. Malik Mooving finished with 11 points.

With the loss, the Raiders finished the 2017-18 season with a mark of 15-17.

"Overall, this season was challenging," said Drymon. "Lots of guys missed action for a variety of reasons. We only had the entire team together for four games and limited practice time, which left us with the difficulty of constantly trying to create an identity. I thought the guys did a great job of trying to overcome these challenges. On the plus side, we beat two Division I teams this year and won Region IX, which speaks to the ability of this group. We will head into the off season with this to build upon."