HERKIMER, N.Y. - Joliet Junior College men's basketball keeps season alive after forcing overtime and beating Genesee Community College, 102-100, on Friday.
After an explosive first half that saw the Wolves up 60-50, they came out of the break slow and struggling to rebounds in the early stretches.
"We couldn't get it together in the early second half," said Wolves coach
Danny Turner. "We are down to three starters due to injury. We are going through adversity in terms of not having key players to compete, but showed grit and composure to execute down the stretch."
Veteran
Jyaveion Green paced the JJC offense with 33 points and 11 rebounds. He shot 54% from the 3-point line, going 6-for-11.
With 9:53 left in regulation, the Cougars overtook the Wolves for the first time since the opening five minutes of the game. The Wolves rallied and with just 31 seconds left, sophomore
Levi Goad hit a 3-pointer to make it 92-92, ultimately sending it to overtime. After trailing 98-93,
Kareem Parker hit a layup followed by another 3-pointer from Goad to tie things up.
Sophomore center
Victor Yatou hit a layup and after a Genesee response, it was Parker who made the clutch layup with a second left to propel the Wolves to victory.
Goad finished with 19 points, while Parker scored 13 off the bench with 13 boards as well.
Despite the slow second half, the Wolves outperformed the Cougars in key metrics. JJC racked up 20 assists to Genesee's nine and out rebounded the Cougars, 58-36.
"They are a streaky shooting team and very difficult to prepare for," said Turner.
With the win, the No. 12 Wolves have earned one more game at the NJCAA Division III National Tournament. They will face No. 2 Riverland Community College in the Fifth Place Game on Saturday at 11 a.m. CST. The game can be live streamed at njcaa.org/network.
