By Eldridg Chavez
It’s March 17, 2018. We’re at Rock Valley Gymnasium in Rockford, Illinois. The Hostos Caimans are seconds away from winning their first national title in program history. But before the celebration begins, let's see how we got here first.
The year prior, the Caimans defeated Borough of Manhattan Community College, 66-53, in the CUNYAC Championship game, ending a ten-year drought. They went on to face the same Panthers team weeks later at the NJCAA Region XV finals and the script went unchanged. Hostos defeated BMCC, 69-52, on its way to the program's first-ever trip to the NJCAA Division III National Tournament.
At the big dance, Hostos lost its opening match against Roxbury Community College, 76-50, and continued on in the loser’s bracket, where the Caimans finished the season ranked fifth nationally, defeating both Northland and Georgia Tech Community College.
Under the tutelage of third-year head coach
DeVernie Winston, Hostos started its run of defending CUNYAC champs, taking five of the first seven games to open the season, including two losses against Division I programs, Lackawanna College and Asa College. The latter would be the last loss of the season. The Caimans dominated the rest of the way, outscoring the oppositions, 1,351-567, a point differential of 784 points.
Winston and the Caimans spent the offseason focusing on their defense, holding teams to under 30 points five times in 2018. The nucleus was there with returning sophomore guards
Cashmir Fulcher and
Ashley Smith. But it was freshman forward
Kayla Wilson who took the conference by storm.
Wilson posted startling numbers in her debut season, averaging 16.6 points and 12.6 rebounds per contest. The Brooklyn native also shot an astonishing 61.7 percent from the field, which ranked fourth in NJCAA Division III. Additionally, Wilson was a seven-time CUNYAC Rookie of the Week selection, notching a double-double in 18 of 22 games. For her efforts, Wilson was named CUNYAC Player of the Year.
In the CUNYAC tournament, Hostos faced off against the Queensborough Tigers in the semifinals, winning, 89-39. Wilson recorded another double-double, scoring 22 points with 11 rebounds. Sophomore
Regine Blakney added 18 points with four steals and four assists.
In the rematch of last year’s championship game, the Caimans took on the No. 2 seed Panthers. After a close first-half, the Caimans outscored Manhattan, 45-30, in the second half, securing back-to-back CUNYAC titles.
In the Region XV tournament, Hostos made quick work against Nassau and Sullivan Community College. Wilson led all scorers with 18 points and pulled down 10 rebounds against Nassau, before going off for 26 points, 13 rebounds and three blocks in the title bout with Sullivan. Wilson was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.
The Caimans headed to Illinois for their first-round match against Onondaga, ready to right the wrong from a season ago. After one period of play, Hostos held onto a one point lead. They fell behind early in the second and by halftime, the Caimans were down, 33-26. Hostos came out strong in the second half. Led by Wilson’s 22 points and 14 rebounds, the Caimans retook the lead and control of the game, outscoring the Lazers, 47-31, in the second half, moving on to the next round with a 73-64 final score.
Against UConn Avery Point, Wilson had her best game of the year. She tallied 38 points and 24 rebounds, including 17 offensive boards, carrying the Caimans from the opening tip. Wilson nailed clutch free-throws towards the end of regulation and propelled Hostos to an 83-79 win. One win away from being national champions.
In the national title game, host and defending champions Rock Valley jumped out to an early advantage, leading after one period of play, 21-13. In the second frame, Hostos bounced back and outscored the Golden Eagles, 18-8, to take a slim lead into the half, 31-29.
In the third period, it was all about defense, with Rock Valley outdueling the Caimans in the third quarter to carry a 44-43 lead into the final stanza. In the final frame, Wilson and teammate
Desiree Tolbert, who combined for 30 of the team's 58 points, outscored the Golden Eagles in the fourth period, 15-8. With seconds remaining,
Jessie Schiro of Rock Valley threw up one final shot that went off the back-iron. Hostos 58, Rock Valley 52. The Caimans are national champions!
During the three-day tournament, Wilson averaged 27.3 points and 17.0 rebounds per game, earning the nod as the NJCAA Division III National Player of the Year and the NJCAA National Tournament Most Valuable Player.
CUNYAC Throwback Series