The Anoka-Ramsey Community College Men's Basketball team scored 63 points in the second half to come back for a 99-95 win over Minnesota West on Saturday afternoon.
The win clinches at least a share of the MCAC Southern Division title for the Golden Rams as they hold a two game lead on second place Rochester with two games left in the regular season.
The two teams battled back and forth throughout the first half with neither team leading by more than four points until Minnesota West took a 37-31 lead with 1:39 left in the half.
A layup from James Lloyd and three from Jackson Odegard around a Bluejay bucket cut the deficit to three points, 39-36 at the break.
The Golden Rams shot just 36.8 percent in the first half including 4 of 17 from the three-point line.
Minnesota West went on a 8-2 run to open the second half and take a 47-38 lead.
Malik El-Amin then scored the next seven Anoka-Ramsey points to cut the deficit to 47-45.
After two Minnesota West free throws, Chris Morgan scored inside to keep the deficit at two points.
Another Bluejay layup kept the margin at four, but El-Amin again went on a personal run tallying six straight to keep Anoka-Ramsey close.
Morgan, Odegard, and El-Amin hit three consecutive threes and tied the score at 62 apiece with 13:18 to play.
The teams again traded baskets with nobody taking a comanding lead.
Minnesota West went up 77-75 with 7:48 left before an 8-0 Anoka-Ramsey run put the Golden Rams ahead 83-77 with 5:29 left.
The Bluejays pulled back within two points on multiple occasions but couldn't get over the hump as the Golden Rams sealed the game from the free throw line.
Anoka-Ramsey shot 51.4 percent overall, 66.7 percent in the second half.
El-Amin scored a career-high 31 points on 12 of 19 shooting and 4 of 8 from the three-point line.
Morgan finished with 21 points and 13 rebounds.
Kevin Schramm scored 19 points to go with six assists.
Odegard came off the bench for ten points.
Anoka-Ramsey improves to 16-9 overall, 11-1 in the MCAC Southern Division.
The Golden Rams travel to Rochester on Wednesday, February 21 at 7:30pm.
Anoka-Ramsey needs to win one of their final two, or have Rochester suffer one loss, in order to secure the #1 seed in the Region XIII tournament.