Kirkwood Men’s basketball team brings home its fourth national championship

Following a program record 33 wins, the Kirkwood Community College men’s basketball team has brought home its fourth national championship.  

The Eagles took down the Parkland College Cobras in a 55-54 thriller led by redshirt freshman guard Lucas Lueth and freshman point guard Germaine Benson, who combined for 22 points. 

The Eagles outrebounded the Cobras 37-34, but the difference was at the free throw line, where they made 13 on 56.5% shooting compared to the Cobras’ 8 on 53.3%. Every Kirkwood player to touch the floor scored for the Eagles, showcasing the depth of the roster. The Eagles were more disciplined on defense, and their two-way play and depth paid off with a championship. 

“When you lose three games all year and have a program record of 33 wins in a season, it’s pretty special,” said Sandquist. “That’s a really mature group this year that really bought in. There were no lapses really, so just a really special group and really special team that we had.”

Lueth was named to the All-Tournament team alongside teammates sophomore guard Traijan Sain and sophomore shooting guard Colby Dolphin.

Lueth also earned the Tournament Most Valuable Player award, averaging 11.5 points per game on 50% from the field in those four games. Additionally, Head Coach Tim Sandquist was named Coach of the Tournament.  

 Sandquist added that while the game was close from beginning to end, he was confident in the Eagles’ chances. 

“Our league is so tough that we’ve been through a lot of those battles already,” he said, “So our guys have been in tough games, and it was really nothing new.

 “We played that three-overtime game on Wednesday, and after we won that, I think all of us had the belief that we were gonna get this done. To be in a tough game like that on Saturday night wasn’t anything different than we’d been in all year. It was kind of ‘hey, we’ve been here, we’ve done this already. We’re not gonna lose our composure.” 

The game came down to the last few possessions. With the game tied, Sain was fouled on Kirkwood’s last possession, which resulted in a pair of free throws. He went one for two from the stripe, giving the Eagles the lead and the win. 

“I knew I was going to make one of the free throws. I was just pretty confident in that,” said Sain. “But after I made the first one, everything just went out of my head, and I had no thoughts. I was almost lost in a sense.” 

“It still doesn’t feel real, honestly,” he continued. “It’s amazing to say I’m a national champion, but I feel like the sadness that such an amazing season with some of my best friends has come to an end. It’s by far the most unforgettable experience I’ve ever been a part of.” 

Sandquist sees this as a special moment for Sain as he made the shot that delivered a national championship to his hometown team, a team he has been a part of for two years. 

Now Sandquist’s focus shifts to next season. “I think we all need to soak it in, but we’re not national champions anymore. We’re now defending national champions, so we gotta go back to work.”