DANVILLE, Ill. – The No. 13 seed Johnson County men's basketball team (28-8) survived and advanced at the NJCAA D-II National Tournament with a 77-68 overtime victory over No. 9 seed Chesapeake Friday morning on the campus of Danville Area Community College at Mary Miller Center.
The Cavaliers will face the winner of No. 10 seed Mott and No. 15 seed Central on Saturday in the seventh/eighth place game.
Sophomore forward Xavier Kahube hit 3-of-4 shots and freshman guard Kaleim Taylor was 3-for-4 at the free throw in the overtime period to lead the Cavaliers to the victory. Kahube led JCCC with 20 points hitting 10-of-16 shots, along with a team high seven rebounds and three blocked shots. Taylor finished with six points.
Three other Cavaliers posted double figures in points. Sophomore forward Ryan Gordon contributed 13 points and six boards. Sophomore guards Tymer Jackson and Josh Jordan each poured 12 points. Jackson also had six rebounds and three assists, and Jordan grabbed five boards and three assists.
Chesapeake was led by JayShaun Freeman with 19 points and Lamont Powell with 16.
JCCC built an eight point lead midway through the first half only to see Chesapeake fight back and tie the score at 29 at the break. The Cavalier trailed for the first time since 3-2 early in the game two minutes into the second half. The two teams battled back-and-forth the rest of the way.
The Cavaliers led by three in the final minute, but Justin Demaria nailed a 3-pointer to send the game into extra time. The Cavaliers took control in the overtime period on three straight Kahube layups securing JCCC's 28th win of the season.
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