The Fort Scott Community College Greyhounds traveled to Wichita, Ks over the weekend to take on the Brown Mackie Lions in the Region VI championship game at Koch Arena. The Lions were the overall number one seed and the Greyhounds were the number two seed, with the winner advancing to the national tournament. The two teams had already met twice this season, with Brown Mackie winning both games by double-digits. This game, however, would have a different outcome.
The Greyhounds controlled the tempo from start to finish, leading almost the entire game. Fort Scott clamped down on the defensive end, holding the Lions to only 32 first half points. Offensively, the Greyhounds were lead in the first half by Kevin House and Prince Samuels with 13 points apiece. Dalton Rose also added 9 points before being forced to the bench with 3 first half fouls. The Greyhounds took a 37-32 lead into the half.
The Greyhounds would take a 61-54 lead with 7 minutes remaining, but Brown Mackie would Rally to take the lead with just under 3:00 minutes remaining, making the score 64-63. Samuels then drove down the middle, converting a tough layup to give Fort Scott the lead at 65-64. Brown Mackie later made one free throw to tie the game then grabbed an offensive rebound and converted another free throw giving them a 66-65 lead. Samuels was fouled on a drive and knocked down both free throws with 21.6 seconds remaining.
The Greyhounds would get a stop and a rebound as CJ Hall converted 1-2 free throws giving Fort Scott a 68-66 lead. With 4.1 seconds left, Brown Mackie's Jason Jordan dribbled up the floor and shot a 12 footer that came up short as the Fort Scott Greyhounds beat Brown Mackie to win the Region VI championship.
House finished with a game high 24 points while Samuels finished with 22 points and 8 rebounds. Rose added 11 points.
"This game was the type of game that we like to play, meaning a defensive game and we controlled the tempo. The guys pushed the ball when it was there and controlled the three point shots that Brown Mackie likes to do. This is a great thing for the guys and the community of Fort Scott to experience and now we get to see what we can do against the top teams in the National Tournament," stated Head Coach Michael Cook.
The Greyhounds have now won 5 games in a row and advance to the National Tournament in Danville, Illinois. Fort Scott will play South Suburban on Wednesday at 11:00 am.