ESTHERVILLE, Iowa — The Milwaukee Area Technical College men's basketball team, ranked No. 11 in the NJCAA preseason poll, opened its 2025-26 season with a dramatic weekend at the Lakers Classic, falling just short in a 93-91 heartbreaker against preseason No. 13 Iowa Central on Friday before bouncing back the following evening with a commanding 92-77 win over preseason No. 19 Iowa Lakes.

The split left the Stormers at 1-1 after their first road trip, highlighting both the sting of a near miss and the resilience of a group determined to set the tone for the season.

"For an opening weekend, we had a very tough schedule, playing against the preseason No. 13 and No. 19 teams in the country," MATC head coach Randy Casey said. "We had our chances on Friday, but we didn't do enough good things on the defensive end of the floor to win the game. On Saturday, we truly improved on that end, which helped lead us to the win. I was proud of the team for making the adjustment defensively from Friday to Saturday. We need to continue to grow defensively and work hard to get better every day." Friday's opener against Iowa Central was tightly contested from the start, with the Tritons never leading by more than three possessions in the first half. A 7-0 run late in the period gave Iowa Central a 38-30 advantage, but MATC answered with a 10-3 surge, sparked by five points from Jason Lawani, to trim the deficit heading into the break. Jayden Hackett kept the Stormers within striking distance, finishing the half with 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting, including three 3-pointers, along with six rebounds and two steals.

In the second half, Iowa Central appeared to take control, stretching its lead to 70-55 and later 80-69. But the Stormers refused to go away, storming back with a 20-9 run to tie the game at 89 with 2:36 remaining. Down the stretch, Iowa Central converted two of three free throws and added a layup, while MATC managed just two free throws and came up empty on its final two field-goal attempts. The Stormers had a chance to win it in the closing seconds, but Jordan Jones' 3-point attempt missed, sealing a narrow defeat.

MATC finished with 91 points on 47.8 percent shooting from the field, including 42.9 percent from beyond the arc. Ozzie Johnson led the way with a game-high 24 points on 9-of-15 shooting, adding four rebounds, two assists and two blocks in a full 40-minute effort. Hackett added 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting with four 3-pointers, seven rebounds and three steals. Raydelh Boutin chipped in 14 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals. Off the bench, Jones scored 12 points on 3-of-5 shooting, including two 3-pointers, and went 4-for-4 at the line. Qi'Andre Washington anchored the interior with 10 rebounds, four steals and three assists.

The Stormers bounced back in convincing fashion Saturday, rolling past Iowa Lakes 92-77 to even their record. MATC built a 43-33 halftime lead behind a balanced attack that saw five players score six or more points in the opening period. The Stormers never looked back, outscoring the Lakers 49-44 in the second half to close out the weekend on a high note.

Washington led the charge with a dominant double-double, scoring 20 points on 8-of-15 shooting, including two 3-pointers, and pulling down 10 rebounds to go with four assists. Johnson added 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting and hit four free throws in just 21 minutes. Boutin matched him with 14 points of his own, along with two assists and a steal. Off the bench, Turon Rivers delivered 12 points on 6-of-8 shooting and grabbed nine rebounds in just 15 minutes. Hackett rounded out the top scorers with 11 points and two boards.

UP NEXT
MATC (1-1) will travel to Wisconsin Dells to compete in the Border Battle against Rochester Community and Technical College and Mid-Michigan College. The Stormers open play Friday with a 1 p.m. game against Rochester before facing Mid-Michigan at 5 p.m. Saturday.