Kirkwood men finish third with double-overtime win

Kirkwood trailed much of regulation Saturday night against Lewis & Clark in the third-place game of the NJCAA Division II men's basketball tournament.

With the game on the line, the Eagles turned to their sophomores in an 81-72 double-overtime victory.

“The sophomore leadership surfaced,” Coach Doug Wagemester said. “We left our sophomores out there for the final five minutes and the two overtime periods.”

Sophomore Jarvis Williams scored 17 points and freshman Trevell Rivers added 11 points and 12 rebounds.

Williams sealed the game for the Eagles with a spectacular 3-point play.

“I knew that this being my last game as a Kirkwood Eagle I had to step up,” Williams said. “We made up our mind we were going to come out and go hard, it's the last one.”

Kirkwood closes its season at 28-8.

The Eagles had three other players in double-figure scoring: Jordan Stoermer 13, Kaylon Williams 12 and Brandon Pullman 11.

“It was a team effort. It feels good to go out that way,” Wagemester said.

Rico Pierrevilus led Lewis & Clark with 18 points.

-- Tyler Loring, correspondent