By Bill Foley

BUTLER TWP — A successful 3-point shot at the final buzzer Tuesday night gave the Butler County Community College men’s basketball team a one-point victory in its first game after being ranked for what is believed to be the first time since 1998.

Kevaughn Price’s shot as time expired lifted No. 15 BC3 to a 90-89 victory over Potomac State College and to a 14-3 record. The men’s basketball team Monday became the second squad at BC3 to be ranked by the National Junior College Athletic Association since September.

“It’s huge,” Price, a guard-forward and Bishop Canevin High School graduate, said of BC3’s ranking. “The team hasn’t been ranked for a long time. It’s pretty good to be in the history books for BC3.”

“It’s an amazing feeling,” said Anthony Watson, a guard and Bethel Park graduate. “It’s nice to bring something that hasn’t happened in a long time to our school.”

“It’s exciting to bring these wins to BC3,” said Derrick Anderson, a guard and Boardman, Ohio, graduate. “Getting that national ranking is definitely a blessing. It shows all the hard work and dedication. It means a whole lot to see us all come together and just bring the community together as well.”

Price scored 26 points against Potomac State, the final three on his field goal following an inbounds pass from Watson that came after a BC3 timeout with two seconds left in the game.

“Right when it came out of his hand, I knew it was going in,” Watson said. “It just looked so good. It was a great shot.”

“I was celebrating,” teammate Jason Baker said, “when it was in the air.”

“As soon as it left my hand, it felt perfect,” Price said.

Getting good athletes

BC3’s volleyball team was No. 1 among 96 programs in Division III for six consecutive weeks beginning Sept. 19.

The college’s golf team June 10 in the Division III national championship tournament placed sixth, topping the program’s previous best finishes of seventh place in 2015 and in 2019.

“We’re getting really good student-athletes, which is always our goal,” said Rob Snyder, BC3’s director of student life and athletics and head coach of the college’s volleyball team. “We’re trying to let people know we have quality programs and are trying to attract the student-athletes who will help us continue to be successful.”

There are 97 men’s basketball programs in Division III.

Sandhills Community College, Pinehurst, N.C., is 18-3 and ranked No. 1. Prince George’s Community College, Largo, Md., a team BC3 defeated 73-71 on Nov. 19, is 15-2 and ranked No. 9.

“We’re chasing better”

“We’re more focused on the process,” said Joe Lewandowski, interim head coach of BC3’s men’s basketball team. “This (ranking) is nice. But from the beginning, we have said the same thing. We’re chasing better.”

BC3 has a four-game winning streak. The Pioneers have won two games by one point this season and another by as many as 48.

The Pioneers are second in Division III in blocked shots per game with 8.3, seventh in committing the fewest personal fouls with 7.3 per game and ninth in field goals made per game with 31.

“We’re on some highs right now,” said Todd Simons, a guard-forward and Austintown Fitch, Ohio, graduate. “We just got ranked, then we had the buzzer-beater game. Everybody is excited. We have more people than ever coming to the games to watch. Some of it is students. Some of it is the community. It’s just great.”

Baker, a forward and graduate of Legacy Early College, Greenville, S.C., is first in Division III with 86 blocked shots and 16th with 118 defensive rebounds.

Price is second with 143 field goals made and 10th with 20.9 points per game; and Anderson is 14th with 20.4 points per game, 15th with 83 assists and 16th with 124 field goals made.

Anderson was the NJCAA Division III Region 20 athlete of the month for January. He has led BC3 scoring in nine games this season.

Price was a member of a Bishop Canevin High squad that in March won its first Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association Class A championship. He has led BC3 scoring in six games, including the Pioneers’ past three.

Making a name for themselves

The Pioneers’ final two regular-season games before the Western Pennsylvania Collegiate Conference championship tournament are in the BC3 Field House.

BC3 hosts Penn Highlands Community College, Johnstown, at 6 p.m. Tuesday and Lorain County Community College, Elyria, Ohio, at 3 p.m. Feb. 4. The Pioneers are 6-1 in the BC3 Field House this season.

BC3 is seeking its seventh WPCC title and first since 2019 when the championship tournament begins Feb. 17.

“We’re winning a lot,” Price said. “We’re doing things that nobody thought we would be able to do. … We’re making a name for ourselves.”

Other players on BC3’s No. 15-ranked team are Dylan Hutcherson, a guard and Kiski graduate; Spencer Langas, guard-forward, Slippery Rock; Troy Loughry, guard-forward, Grove City; Austin Rodgers, forward, Butler; and Cole Rodgers, guard, Knoch.

Bill Foley is coordinator of news and media content at Butler County Community College