The NJCAA Region 3 men’s basketball game was in the balance until the final buzzer Tuesday and it was Jamestown Community College protecting home court with an 88-87 victory over Erie CC at the Physical Education Complex.

The game didn’t start out looking like a victory for the Jayhawks. The Kats quickly doubled the Jayhawks up 10-5 as Dray Akin made back-to-back layups.

Jamestown made it a three-point game at 15-12. Ilyass Kaichi did the damage from beyond the arc as he netted one of his three triples. He finished the night with 14 points.

Erie CC flipped the script after that. Some hot shooting from A’Mag Tate saw the lead grow to as much as 15. He’d hit eight 3-pointers on the night, finishing with a game-high 30 points.

Jamestown CC kept it respectable before the break. Joey Valerio ripped down an offensive rebound and a put-back to get the home team back within 15 at the break.

The Jayhawks’ deficit swelled to as much as 21 early in the second half, but that’s when they started to find their stroke and make stops on defense. Samad Bailey knocked down a mid-range jumper to get Jamestown CC to 10 for the first time since early in the game. The Erie, Pennsylvania native finished with a team-high 22 points.

The Jayhawks’ hole was cut to five on a Jalyn Moorehead 3-pointer, and on that basket, the crowd started to feel an upset brewing. The Jayhawks took their first lead of the game on another Kaichi bomb to make it 75-74 with seven minutes to play.

The see-saw battle was on from there. Jamestown CC trailed by a pair with 90 seconds left when freshman Jean Saint-Fort splashed a corner triple, giving the hosts an 85-85 win.

Bailey made another layup, and Kaichi sank a free three to make it an 88-87 game with 11 seconds to play. The Jayhawks made not one but two massive stops, including an inbounds play with 1.3 seconds left to seal the victory.

“It felt so good to see my team’s competitiveness rewarded with a huge win,” Jamestown CC coach Xavier Churnac said. “Our guys fought to the final second, and it paid off. I am so proud of the effort from my entire roster. This win will be important for all of us now and in the future.”

The Jayhawks are now 8-17 on the season, and the win was their first in conference to make them 1-4.

The Jayhawks finish the regular season at home on Saturday when they host Monroe CC at 3 p.m.

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JAYHAWKS BREEZE

Jamestown Community College jumped on Erie CC early and never looked back on its way to a 107-38 NJCAA Region 3 win on Tuesday night.

The Jayhawks opened up a 14-0 lead before the Kats were able to get on the board. Chyann Kelly made the final bucket of the opening run. The sophomore finished with a season-high 24 points on the night.

The advantage would hit 19 in the first quarter, with Keturah Stewart getting the bucket and the foul down low. She had a game- and season-high 35 for the Jayhawks.

Jamestown kept the Kats on skates all game with a press. Kelly forced a steal, layup, and free throw in the second quarter to push the lead to 30 at 39-9.

Everything was working for Jamestown CC, even in the paint, where a Courtney Martin layup extended things to 49-10. The Jayhawks led 51-10 at the break.

The second half started with more of the same on offense. Stewart knocked down a 3-ponter, then Kaleigha Plett forced a steal and found Kelly for another bucket to see the advantage balloon to 46.

The reserves were just as good as the starters. Myla Truitt came in and swished a trey to extend the lead to 69-18 late in the third. Jamestown CC would keep the offensive onslaught going inside.

Grace Lundmark’s three-point play saw the advantage grow to more than 60 with 7:28 to play.

Jamestown CC reached triple-digits on a Martin bucket down low. The score hit 101-33 at that point. The game finished 107-38 to move the Jayhawks to 11-12 on the year and 3-2 in conference play.

They finish the regular season at home on Saturday, when they host Monroe CC at 1 p.m.