SLCC headed back to tournament

Salt Lake Community College is back in the NJCAA men's basketball tournament yet again.

The 13th-ranked Bruins claimed a berth to the national championship playoff after routing 18th-ranked Arizona Western College 69-50 in the District 1 championship game late Tuesday night at Scottsdale, Ariz.

D.J. Wright finished with 24 points and 9 rebounds to lead SLCC. Nate Bendall added 22 points and Dathan Lyles chipped in with 15 points and 5 rebounds for the Bruins.

SLCC held the Matadors scoreless for six minutes and used a 13-0 run during that stretch to break the game open.

The Bruins (27-6) now head to Hutchinson, Kan., for another shot at an NJCAA national title after finishing as national runner-up a year ago. They will face Shelton State Community College (Ala.) (31-2) on Tuesday, March 17, at 1 p.m. (MDT).

GRIFFINS' PAYNE NAMED LEAGUE MVP: In his only season at Westminster College, Geoff Payne has helped lift the Griffins program to unprecedented heights — which included the school's first-ever No.1 national ranking and its first Frontier Conference tournament championship.

On Wednesday, Payne was recognized for his efforts by being named both the 2009 Frontier Conference Most Valuable Player and the Newcomer of the Year. Payne, who was the lone first-team selection from Westminster, led the conference in scoring at 22.4 points per game and also averaged 7.4 rebounds per game.

Payne led the Griffins with 22 points and 10 rebounds in their 71-53 victory over Rocky Mountain College on Tuesday that earned them a Frontier Conference tournament title for the first time in school history.

"He's an unbelievable player," Westminster coach Tommy Connor said. "The best player I've ever coached here and he just gives us so much. He always looks like he dying, but he always comes up big for us."

Connor was named the league's 2009 Coach of the Year after guiding his team to both the regular season and tournament championships. This is the first time he has received this award in his tenure with the Griffins.

Weston Anderson, Nate Sanchez, and Danny Stosich were all selected to the All-Conference second team. This is the first time Anderson has been named all-conference. Sanchez was named first team All-Conference in 2007 and Stosich earned first team All-Conference honors last season.