ESSEX, Md. — The Knights are ready for the national tournament.
"We’re just excited to be going. This has been our goal all year long," said CCBC Essex Head Coach Mike Seney.
"We are excited to be the first program here to win a championship," added guard Mya Moye.
The Community College of Baltimore County Essex women's basketball team will play Sullivan County, N.Y. in the first round of the National Junior College Athletic Association Division II Tournament on March 17 at 8:00 p.m. in Port Huron, Michigan. The Knights the No. 9 seed in the 16 team tourney and they’re ready for a fight.
"Everybody that makes the tournament, it’s going to be a tough game regardless of what seed," said guard Kasey Gagan. "So, everyone is going to give us their hardest and we have to give it right back."
"It’s just going to take hard work," added Moye. "We got to come to compete each game and take it game by game and don’t take anyone for granted and give it all we got."
This has already been a season to remember for the Knights. They own a 30-2 overall record, are ranked No. 12 in the country and riding a 19-game winning streak. They cut down the nets on Sunday after beating Chesapeake College 86-81 to clinch their first regional title and national tournament berth since 1978. All of this comes after the rebirth of the program. It had shelved the past 15 years because of lack of numbers and interest.
"Just being a part of that and coming in and having a 30-2 season, it’s amazing," said Gagan.
"It’s been crazy. To have a program that hasn’t been in existence for 15 years and our first year we got lucky getting the student athletes that we got. We’ve been a tight-knit group ever since we came along," said Seney.
Now they just have to keep it going.
"We’re excited about the group we have going out there. Hopefully we can make some noise," said Seney.
The Knights will hold three more practices in Essex before they board the bus to Michigan. They leave at 6:00 a.m. on Saturday morning.
Follow Shawn Stepner on Twitter @StepnerWMAR and Facebook
