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Waubonsee set to face high-scoring Pima at nationals

It is not terribly unusual to see non-traditional students in a junior college environment.

Former West Aurora two-sport standout Tyrone Carey is a prime example.

"Football was my main sport (in high school)," Carey said last weekend after being named MVP of the National Junior Collegiate Athletic Association regional final in Sugar Grove.

Waubonsee Community College advanced to the national Division II Men's Basketball Tournament with its 89-83 victory over Triton.

Seven years after graduating from West Aurora, Carey will make his national debut against high-scoring Pima (Ariz.) Community College Tuesday morning at the Mary Morris Center on the campus of downstate Danville Area College.

After exhausting his first year of athletic eligibility at Aurora University six years ago, Carey has been the linchpin for the Chiefs this year.

An undersized forward at 6-foot-3, Carey engineered the first WCC national appearance since 2011 by averaging a team-best 20.4 points while augmenting his all-around game with 6 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game.

"My teammates, they accept me," Carey said of being the elder statesman on the team. "They made the transition easier."

The Chiefs (25-8) also feature St. Charles native Alec Goetz in the starting lineup.

One of four double-figure scorers in the Chiefs' top six in the rotation, the North High School graduate averaged a shade under 17 points a game for WCC.

"This year my primary role has been to open up (opposing defenses) and shoot threes," Goetz said. "I try to see myself as more of a scorer than just a shooter."

The Tucson-based Aztecs (21-11) mirror a barn-storming basketball team.

Pima, seeded one position higher than WCC as a No. 8, averages more than 100 points per game.

"They are the highest-scoring team in the nation," said WCC coach Dave Heiss said, making his sixth national appearance in his 32 years at the helm. "They like to score. Our styles are very similar. We average 89 (points per game), so something has to give."

The central issue for WCC will be countering the Aztecs' size advantage.

"They've got some big men," Carey said of Pima. "Like every other team, they are bigger than us."

"We've been undersized all year," Heiss said. "That's nothing new for us. We will go out and compete like we always do."

Forward Germaine Roebuck, post Jacob Pike and guard Steve Green are the Chiefs' other starters in addition to the two local products.

The 16-team tournament also features a consolation bracket.

The victor between WCC and Pima will almost certainly face No. 1-ranked Southwestern (Ia.) CC in the quarterfinals on Thursday afternoon.

"(We need) to play our game, play in transition and get rebounds," Carey said of the Pima matchup.

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