Chargers win NJCAA Region 17 Championship
The Chargers began the season with a dream, and Saturday night that dream became a reality for Georgia Highlands who won the NJCAA Region 17 Championship with a 81-70 victory over South Georgia State.
“We beat an excellent basketball team tonight,” GHC head coach Phil Gaffney said, “in a very tough place too play.”
GHC got off to a fast start with a 17-4 lead, but South Georgia State came back to tie the game at 24 with eight minutes left in first half and took a 38-34 lead at the half.
The Chargers battled foul trouble all night with two starters in foul trouble in the first half.
Ty Toney led all scorers with 30 points, Terrance Thompson had another big game for the Chargers with 13 points and 10 rebounds off the bench and Denzil Council had 12 points.
GHC sealed the win on the free throw line down the stretch shooting 75 percent for the game.
“I can’t say enough about sophomores Montrel Goldston and Donovan Harris, our North Carolina guys who have been here two years,” Gaffney said. “With the addition of Ty Toney, Denzil Council and Terrance Thompson, we had a nucleus to do something special and it came together tonight.”
The Chargers (27-6) head to Hutchinson, Kansas, next week for the NJCAA National Basketball Championship Tournament.
“We started this program three years ago,” Gaffney said, “and to see how far we have come is something special.”