Raiders' Prijovic named division player of week
MEN'S BASKETBALL
Milos Prijovic of Central Lakes College was named the Northern Division Player of the Week ending Jan. 16.
Prijovic, a sophomore from Belgrade, Serbia, averaged 17.5 points and eight rebounds in helping CLC win two games last week and remain tied for first place in the division.
The Raiders will host Northland at 6 p.m. Wednesday in a key battle that will determine undisputed first place in the division. Both teams are 4-0 in division play.
Northland (13-4 overall) is the second-highest scoring team in the division, averaging 83.3 points, while the Raiders' are the division's top defensive team, yielding 63.8 a game.
"Both these teams have been battling it out in the region, state and conference for at least the last five years," CLC coach Jim Russell said. "They went to nationals, we went to nationals. Both teams are kind of a mirror image of each other in a sense that both coaches stress defense, taking care of the basketball, and playing a team ball concept.
Milos Prijovic
"It's not the normal junior college run and gun, up and down the floor."
Northland's Rico Wells is a returning all-conference player who averages 15.4 points. Terrell Lipkins leads the Pioneers in scoring with a 20.1 average and ranks second in the division in 3-point shooting and third in scoring. Marco Richardson averages 12.5 points, leads the division in rebounding with 12.4 a game and is third in 3-point shooting.
"Wells is 6-5 and very athletic," Russell said. "He does a little bit of everything for them and he's a good leader."
CLC, 14-3 overall, is riding a 5-game win streak. The Raiders are led in scoring by freshmen Nash Faulk (14.1 a game) and Marcus Ayala (14.2).
"We're sharing the ball, creating our own tempo, trying to make sure we don't lose the game, let someone else lose the game," Russell said. "Milos has stepped up in conference play. His size and shooting ability helps us quite a bit."
MIKE BIALKA may be reached at mike.bialka@brainerddispatch.com or at 855-5861.