SANBORN: The Genesee men's basketball team will play for the Region III championship on Sunday afternoon after the second-seeded Cougars defeated fourth seed Jamestown CC in the regional semifinals on Saturday 84-73.
Genesee erased a slow first half start, using a 21-5 run to overcome a 9-6 deficit to take a 27-14 lead with just over five minutes to play in the period.
Rahmel Thompson scored 12 of his game-high 23 points in the first half and also had four first half steals.
The Cougars shot better than 44-percent during the first 20 minutes and took a 35-24 lead into the intermission.
Jamestown responded out of the break and quickly cut into the GCC lead. The Jayhawks scored 11 of the first 14 points in the frame and got to within three, just over three minutes into the second.
Genesee extended its lead back to double digits and after back-to-back threes from Justin Washington and Brian Fobbs, the Cougars held a 58-45 advantage with under 12 minutes to play.
Brandon Adams jumped on board and hit two straight threes of his own, and the Genesee lead ballooned to 19 with nine minutes to go. Adams finished with four 3pt baskets in the game.
After a Jamestown timeout, the Jayhawks went on an 11-2 run to get to within 10 at 68-58, and cut it to seven with just under a minute left before GCC put the game away at the free-throw line. The Cougars were a perfect 8-8 from the line during the final minute of the game.
Ladji Fofana and Adams each finished with 16 points and Fofana grabbed eight rebounds. Fobbs added 10 points, Dejean Ellebb chipped in eight and grabbed six boards, and Brandon Peters finished with five points and five assists.
Genesee will move on to play No. 1 seed Niagara County CC at 1 p.m. on Sunday for the regional title. Niagara defeated the Community College of Rhode Island in Saturday's first semifinal game. The Cougars' last championship came during the 2014-15 season and Sunday's winner will advance to the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) National Tournament in Danville, IL.
