Chaps Reach NJCAA D3 Men’s Basketball Championship

By: Mark Reinhiller

COD Men's Basketball team posing with the Great Lakes regional title.

Final 10 Minutes Go Chaps’ Way in 84-70 Win Over Lorain County Community College

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Year one for men’s basketball head coach Joe Kuhn and the Chaparrals will finish on the grand stage of NJCAA play.

Behind Drew Gaston’s 24 points and Matt Elliott’s monster game of 22 points, 10 rebounds and six blocks, the Region 4 champion Chaparrals took control down the stretch and earned an 84-70 win over Region 12 champ Lorain County (Ohio) Community College for the Great Lakes District title.

The Chaps, now 20-13 and winners of seven straight games and 10 of their last 12, advance to the 2023 NJCAA Division III Men’s Basketball Championship in Herkimer, N.Y., March 15 to 18.

“I’m so excited for our players, who get to experience what it’s all about: playing for a national championship title,” Kuhn said. “They now get the experience of a lifetime.”

A two-possession game in the second half turned COD’s way. With 8:20 left, COD owned its largest lead to that point, 63-56, after a Finn Walsh 3-pointer.

The Commodores didn’t go away, responding with a 6-0 run that COD answered back with seven straight points, leading 70-62 with 4:54 to go.

“Lorain played a very good game and they got on us in the beginning,” Kuhn said. “It’s been a while since we had been challenged like that. But over the course of the stretch in the final 10 minutes of the game, the toughness we’ve shown over the last month was the difference.”

Lorain’s Quante May scored 16 of his 20 first-half points in the opening 10 minutes of play, giving Lorain a 27-15 lead. COD then outscored the Commodores 25-11 and led 40-38 at the break when Gaston hit a 3-pointer just in front of the scorer’s bench with one second left.

“May was hitting them and he played some really sound defense,” Kuhn said. “We made an adjustment at halftime and Finn did an unbelievable job of stopping him in the second half. Overall, we didn’t shoot the ball all that well, but we made enough plays when we needed to.”

Walsh finished with 16 points and Alijah Nelson added 12.

For Kuhn, this marks his second straight trip to the NJCAA tourney, completing his 25-year career at Joliet with a trip in 2022. His Joliet team won the 2010 national championship.

The first person who approached Kuhn after the win over Lorain was former Chaps head coach and fellow Hall of Famer Don Klaas, who delivered seven regional titles and the 2002 national crown during his 35-year COD career.

“Getting a chance to take over a once-national power and getting back to nationals is an absolute thrill,'' Kuhn said. “A lot of people showed faith in me, including our administration and President (Dr. Brian) Caputo. An unbelievable amount of support is in place. A lot of people besides our players and coaching staff have played big roles, so we all get to share in this.”

The 12-team NJCAA D3 Selection Show will air at 1 p.m. Wednesday at www.njcaa.org.