PRESTON – Myerscough alumni Zion Tordoff helped Casper College clinch its first Region IX Tournament championship in 23 years on Saturday, defeating Sheridan College 87-74.
Tordoff, who was coming off a 14-point and 11-rebound performance against Western Nebraska Community College in Friday’s semifinal, chipped in four points and two boards in 16 minutes off the bench.
“It still hasn’t sunk in,” said Tordoff. “The goal of winning the Region IX Championship was set ever since I committed to Casper. Knowing all the hard work we’ve put in to get to this position is incredibly rewarding and I’ll never forget this occasion.”
The 6-foot-8 forward averaged 7.4 points and 6.1 rebounds during his sophomore year with the Thunderbirds, starting in 19 of 33 games. Tordoff has scored in double-figures 11 times, including a career best 21 points on Nov. 23, and posted five double-doubles this season.
“We knew from the start of the semester that we were a great team — it was just a case of buying into the system and believing in everyone,” he said. “One occasion that made us realise we were a special team was our win in the third game of the season against Salt Lake who were ranked eighth at the time.”
Tordoff, who attended Myerscough from 2015 to 2017, and Casper now advance to the National junior College Tournament that runs Mar. 18-23 in Hutchinson, Kansas. The last time the Thunderbirds made it to Hutchinson was back in 1996, where they finished 12th.
“We have to enjoy the moment and cherish this feeling but we’re nowhere near done yet,” said Tordoff. “The National Tournament is a great stage for us to compete at and there’s no reason why we can’t go out there and make even more history.”
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