The Elgin Community College men’s basketball team start their tournament run this weekend in Palatine. The Spartans finished the year at 24-6 overall with a conference record of 11-3. They ended their regular season on a three-game winning streak after beating College of Lake County and Waubonsee Community College twice.

“It’s been a very solid year and we are proud to have achieved the second most wins in a season in ECC history,” second-year forward and captain Johnny Flynn said. “The postseason is always tough but we have the best group of guys in the nation so we can make this postseason a special one.”

The Spartans had a tremendous scoring season as they finished 13th in points scored in Division III.

“Our offense is extremely explosive,” second-year guard Desmond Douglas said. “We just have so many different weapons and are so deep with guys that opponents get wore out trying to keep up with our pace for the 40 minutes.”

They pride themselves on being a team that likes to give the ball to others and have many players get on the board.

There are numerous games where almost six or seven guys scored in double figures,” Douglas said. “Not one of us is selfish. We are all willing to make the extra pass to go from a good shot to an even greater one.”

For Flynn, it has been a season to remember as he played a huge role in the Spartans success this season. He started every game but one this season and that showed with how well the team performed on the court.

“I believe the biggest role I’ve played in helping this team win is with my leadership and experience,” Flynn said. “I’m just trying to make sure the team knows what to expect coming in and make sure they are prepared for anything that might be thrown at them.”

The Spartans enter the 2019 Region IV Division III tournament as the number two seed. Despite their high seed in the tournament, they are still focused on getting better as a team before they can focus on who they play next.

“We are our own main concern,” Douglas said. “Though we are so efficient on the offensive end on a night to night basis, there are some nights where a lot of those shots might not fall or some of those balls that usually go in, rim out.”

For Flynn, his main concern is taking down a team that beat them back in November. That same team is also the number one seed.

“Rock Valley is our biggest threat to winning a national championship,” he said. “We have that game on Sunday circled, but we also know we have to take care of business on Saturday against Madison first.”

First-year guard Michael Kalusa has a lot of confidence in his team going into the postseason.

“We knew we were one of the best teams in the country,” Kalusa said. “As the season went on we saw how real it was.”

The Spartans play three seeded Madison College at Harper College on Saturday, Feb. 23 at 7 PM. The winner of that game will play the winner of the one seed versus four seed match-up between Rock Valley College and Joliet Junior College. That game tips off at 5 PM Saturday at Harper College. The Regional Championship will be played Sunday, Feb. 24 at 3 PM at Harper College.