Previously defeating the Jayhawks by scores of 73-69 and 70-62, the Lumberjacks entered the night looking to complete the clean sweep.

The Lumberjacks executed perfectly despite narrowly pulling out the 73-69 victory.

“I’m not sure if these guys understood the magnitude of this game going into it, but when the crowd showed up and started to get loud, these guys knew it was their time to perform,” ACC coach Bobby Allen said. “Going into halftime, the message across the guys was ‘don’t let this crowd down.'”

Although ACC snuck by with the win, the Lumberjack’s offense started hot and couldn’t seem to miss.

News Photo by Owen Kinzey Alpena Community College plays Muskegon Community College in Alpena on Tuesday. The Lumberjacks snagged the win with a final score of 73-69 against the Jayhawks.

Early baskets in the paint from the Lumberjack’s big men, Elijah Hennings and Terence Burton, opened the game beyond the three-point line.

While most ACC players could not capitalize on the open shots, Cam Johnson found the bottom of the net twice, extending the lead.

Alpena had gained nearly a 20-point lead, but out of nowhere, the lead disintegrated, and the Lumberjacks stalled offensively.

Muskegon had discovered a better defense style, leading to more opportunities to score on the offensive end.

Similarly, the Jayhawks pounded the ball inside and relied heavily on Jacob Mueller, who scored double-digit points in the first half.

News Photo by Owen Kinzey Alpena Community College plays Muskegon Community College in Alpena on Tuesday. The Lumberjacks snagged the win with a final score of 73-69 against the Jayhawks.

ACC shut down Muskegon’s top player, Jadakiss Lewis, to just two points, allowing a 35-25 lead favoring Alpena into the half.

Even though ACC still was out in front, the team would need to keep its foot on the gas pedal to keep up with Muskegon’s offensive push.

The Jayhawks continued to feed Mueller and found another fifteen points from its top center.

Lewis found a few open shots at the guard position and accumulated ten for himself.

Twenty-five points had come between just two players, and the Lumberjack’s defense appeared lost.

News Photo by Owen Kinzey Alpena coach Bobby Allen, second, talks to members of the team on Tuesday during ACC’s game against MCC in Alpena. With encouraging words from Allen, the Lumberjacks came out on top with 73-69 win.

Despite needing to figure out on defense, ACC scored enough points to hang tight in a back-and-forth game.

Daddy Hill led the offense, scoring ten, but an all-around scoring half from the Lumberjacks kept Muskegon without a defensive solution.

Neither side could get a defensive stand, and late, mindless mistakes almost cost ACC the entire game.

Clutch free-throw shooting from Johnson closed out the 73-69 win as he scored Alpena’s last four points.

“Down the stretch really hurt us where we threw the ball away, we traveled, and we came back and took a couple of dumb shots,” Coach Allen said. “Either way, overall, I’m happy for our guys, and I’m happy we can now move on.”

News Photo by Owen Kinzey Alpena Community College plays Muskegon Community College in Alpena on Tuesday. The Lumberjacks snagged the win with a final score of 73-69 against the Jayhawks.

News Photo by Owen Kinzey Alpena Community College plays Muskegon Community College in Alpena on Tuesday. The Lumberjacks snagged the win with a final score of 73-69 against the Jayhawks.

News Photo by Owen Kinzey Ianson Simpson takes a shot from the free throw line in Tuesday night’s game in Alpena. ACC took the win against MCC while hosting their first postseason in 25 years.

News Photo by Owen Kinzey ACC’s Daddy Hill, left, and Cam Johnson jump in celebration during Tuesday night's game against Muskegon Community College in Alpena. The Lumberjacks hosted their first postseason game in 25 years and managed to snag the win with a final score of 73-69.