SGSC Hawks take GCAA Region 17 Championship; Turn focus to NJCAA Tournament
Waycross, Georgia.
The plan last week for the South Georgia State Hawks was to compete for the GCAA title on the road but after Tuesday's East Georgia upset of number one seed Georgia Highlands, the Hawks got the boost of playing on their home court for the semis and finals of the GCAA/Region 17 tournament. The Hawks used that comfort to their advantage with Saturday afternoon's 75-69 victory over East Georgia State College. And with the win, the Hawks are heading to Hutchinson, Kansas for the NJCAA national tournament.
The Hawks took a 42-29 lead into the halftime locker room while holding the Bobcats to 30 percent shooting. Things changed quickly at the start of the second half when East Georgia outscored SGSC 27-11 over the first eight minutes to take a 56-53 lead. The Bobcats stretched the lead to five (59-54) with 9:35 remaining in the game.
SGSC managed to hold East Georgia to only four points over the next five minutes and took the lead for good on Jalen King's basket with 4:03 remaining to put the Hawks ahead 64-63. Baldwin pointed to Parrish's play as a starter and team rebounding as two of the main keys that propelled the Hawks to the championship. "Daniel was unbelievable during the tournament, especially when you think about the fact that he wasn't our regular starter. Also, Bryce (Brown), Jayce (Moore), and Daniel were unreal on the boards today."
Daniel Parrish's 19 points and ten rebounds along with Jayce Moore's 18 points, 11 rebounds, two assists and two blocked shots led the way for the Hawks to the title. Preston Crisp 15 points and Javian Johnson's 14 led the Bobcats.
"What's going to be hard is to celebrate winning the conference and then have to stop the celebration to start planning and practicing for the national tournament," Baldwin said. "We'll probably enjoy this until tomorrow (Sunday) afternoon, and then it will be time to get back to work."
With the win the Hawks were automatically named the NJCAA Southeast District Champions and receive an automatic bid to the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) National Tournament in Hutchinson, Kansas April 19-24, 2020.
Seeding for the national tournament took place yesterday during the NJCAA Division I Men's Basketball Selection Show with the Hawks being selected as the #21 seed and will take on #12 Salt Lake on April 19th at 9:30 EDT.