The Clarke College men finished the regular season as champions of the Northern Illinois-Iowa Conference. The Crusaders wrapped up the title with a 90-83 victory over Rockford and finished conference play with a record of 9-1. Clarke coach Jon Davison says winning the league title was a tremendous accomplishment for his team as they started the year without 55 points a game in scorers who were gone.
Davison says the Crusaders got better as their defense improved. He says it’s a team that has come to realize that defense is their forte, as he says they aren’t real quick, but play with intensity and a great desire to win.
Up next the conference tournament and Clarke will host a semifinal round game on Wednesday night. Davison says the conference tournament may end the season. The NIIC does not have an automatic bid into the division three national tournament and Clarke would need an at-large bid. He says the odds of that aren’t real great.