Hawks punch ticket to D2 Nationals
The Hocking College men;s basketball team has punched its ticket to the NJCAA National Championship Tournament. The Hawks used tough defense and key baskets in the final minutes to hold off 13th-ranked Bay College 82-80 to win the Great Lakes District A Tournament Championship on Sunday afternoon in Flint, MI.
The Hawks, now 23-6, won their fourth in a row overall, and are advancing to the National Tournament for the first time in school history. Hocking earned an automatic bid to the 20-team tourney which goes from March 18-23 in Danville, IL.
Hocking led and controlled play for the majority of the game, leading by as many as eight in the first half before settling for a 43-40 halftime lead. In the second half, Bay took a one-point lead with just under 10 minutes remaining before the HAwks took control again and enjoyed a nine point lead, 81-72 with 2:35 left after a 3-pointer by sophomore forward Jaden Woods. However, the late game drama was just about to start.
Bay, who is 27-5 overall, scored the nedxt eight points to cut Hocking's lead to 81-80 with 11 seconds remaining. Woods then made 1 of 2 free throws with 7 seconds left to gice the Hawks an 82-80 advantage, then Hocking held on as Bay missed a contested 3-pointer at the buzzer, and the Hawks were literally dancing and heading to Illinois for the National Championship Tournament.
Woods, who was named the District A Tournament MVP, led the Hawks with 20 points. He also added seven rebounds and two blocked shots. Freshman forward Zion REynolds came off the bench to tally 13 points and sophomore power forward Dennis Osoro almost had a double double as he scored 12 points and grabbed nine rebounds. Osoro also had a game-high four blocked shots as the Hawks blocked a season-best 13 shots, and held Bay to just 33 percent shooting. Reynolds and Osoro were also named to the District A All-Tournament Team.
The Hawks got contributions from several other players, including freshman forwards Treshawn Cody and Sohn McGee, who each scored nine points. Cody added six rebounds and two blocked shots while McGee had three blocks.
Three sophomore guards also played key roles for the Hawks as Allen Lattimore and Anthony Millner chipped in eight and seven points, respectively, while Daylen Patterson, the shortest player on the floor at 5'8", came up big for Hocking. Patterson, who took only one shot, scored two points, but handed out a game-high eight assists, grabbed rebounds, and added three steals and two blocked shots to secure the win for the Hawks.
Hocking head coach Ryan Miley, now in his sixth season, was named the Great Lakes District Coach of the Year as he led the Hawks to a third-straight 20 win season and a second OCCAC championship in the last three years.
With the victory, Hocking improves to 3-5 against Top 20 teams this season, woth three of those five losses coming by three points or less. The Hawks will find out their next opponent when the Division II National Championship field is announced on Tuesday, March 12.
Congratulations to the 2024 Great Lakes District A Tournament Champion Hocking Hawks!