The Tribune

LATHANIEL Bastian and his Trinity Valley Community College Cardinals concluded the regular season with the longest winning streak in the NJCAA and head into the regional tournament as the top overall seed.

In the regular season finale, Bastian finished with a season high 14 points, four rebounds and two steals in the Cardinals’ 87-68 win over Lamar State - Port Arthur College.

The Cardinals received a bye in round one of the NJCAA Region XIV Tournament, which began April 6 at the John Alexander Gym in Jacksonville, Texas. They are slated to face Lamar State for the second time in as many games, at 1pm today in the first matchup on the schedule.

The Cardinals look to earn a spot in the NJCAA National Championship, April 19-24 in Hutchinson, Kansas.

After a season opening 71-69 loss to Kilgore College, the Cardinals went undefeated the remainder of the year to finish 20-1.

For the season, the 6’7” 235-pound sophomore forward averaged 6.9 points and a team-leading 7.1 rebounds per game on 57 percent shooting from the field. He appeared in 21 games with nine starts. He has posted seven double-digit rebound games and seven games where he scored in double figures.

Some of his top performances of the season included 12 points and 13 rebounds in the Cardinals’ 97-42 win over Bossier Parish Community College and 12 points, 11 rebounds, and two blocks in a 92-68 win over Panola College. He also posted a season high 14 rebounds in a 101-59 win over Victoria College.