TULLAHOMA, TN – The 2023-24 season has been a magical one for the Walters State men's basketball team.
However, with 19:25 to go on Tuesday afternoon, the magic was running low.
Taking on Chattanooga State in the TCCAA/Region VII Championship game, the Senators ran into a Tigers squad that could not miss a shot through the first 21 minutes of the game. That led to a Chattanooga State 53-36 lead and what looked to be an insurmountable deficit for Walters State to overcome.
But the Senators were not about to come that far and not get over the finish line.
Walters State chipped away and chipped away, finally tying the game with seven minutes to go. The Senators took the lead with 3:40 left, and JR Jacobs did the rest as he scored the final six points to give Walters State an 83-79 victory.
It's Walters State's first TCCAA/Region VII Championship since 2014 and their first NJCAA DI Tournament appearance since 2017.
With the win, Walters State improved to 28-2 on the season.
"I am just so proud of this team," Walters State coach Jerry Nichols said. "They have come ready to work since day one. They do not quit, and you saw that in the second half today. We got hit with adversity, but we just kept on going. I give so much credit to these guys for their competitive fire and inability to throw in the towel. They're a joy to work with every day, and I'm very blessed to be along for this ride."
Leading the charge for Walters State in the game was Jacobs. Jacobs finished Tuesday's game with 20 points, five assists, four steals and three rebounds. Jacobs was 8-11 from the field.
Jacobs finished the tournament with 38 points, 19 assists, eight steals and 12 rebounds. He was named the MVP of the tournament.
"JR was fantastic today and all season," Nichols said. "We could not ask for a better point guard. He works so hard and plays such a complete game. What everyone saw today is what we've seen all season from JR. He's just a terrific player, and we're glad to have him on our side."
Along with Jacobs, Jair Horton was terrific downlow with 14 points. Ramondo Battle had 13 points and seven rebounds as well, while Jamar Livingston and Greg Moore had 12 points each.
Other contributors for Walters State were Charvez Ambrose with five points, Micah Simpson with four points, Chi Shannon with two points and Carter Metz with one point.
As a team, Walters State shot 44.4% from the field. Defensively, the Senators forced 17 turnovers.
Walters State got off to exactly the start they wanted in the game, as Horton converted an and-one and Simpson dunked one home to make it 5-0. The Tigers scored to cut it to three, but Battle hit a three and Jacobs scored, forced a turnover and hit a three to make it 13-2.
Chattanooga State tried to cut to the lead with five straight points, but Horton scored again and Simpson dunked another one home to make it 17-7.
However, that's when Chattanooga State got hot. The Tigers scored 10 straight to tie the game. Walters State calmed the storm with some free throws and a Jacobs bucket that gave the Senators a 21-19 lead. But Chattanooga State would not go away and scored seven straight to give them a 26-21 lead.
From there, Walters State stayed close for awhile as a Jacobs three and Shannon basket cut the lead to 31-30. But Chattanooga State rallied off 13 straight points and led 44-31. The Tigers continued to charge from there and led 51-36 at the half.
In the second half, Chattanooga State immediately got their lead to 17 points. But that's when Walters State began to play into the game. Horton hit two free throws, and Livingston knocked in a three that cut the lead to 53-41.
Chattanooga State scored to get the lead back to 14, but Battle hit a three to make it 55-44. The Tigers hit a free throw after, but Horton scored to make it a 10-point game. Chattanooga State got the lead to 13 with a three, but Battle hit another trey and it was 59-49.
The lead for Chattanooga State was 11 with 13:40 to go, but Simpson forced a turnover and gave it to Jacobs for a layup. The Senators forced a turnover on Chatt State's next possession, and Moore was fouled on a three and made all three free throws to cut the lead to 61-55. The Senators got a stop on the next possession, and Horton scored again to cut the lead to four with 12:18 to go.
Horton split a pair of free throws on Walters State's next possession to cut the lead to 61-58, but the Tigers scored four points to get the lead back to seven. Moore got the Senators going again with two free throws, but Chattanooga State hit a three to make it 68-60 and a timeout was called.
Coming out of the timeout, Ambrose scored for the Senators with 9:14 left but the Tigers hit two free throws to keep the lead at eight. But Battle hit a shot while getting fouled to bring them within six. The lead was down to three right after, as Battle missed the free throw but Walters State got the rebound and dished it to Ambrose in the corner for a triple.
The two teams traded misses on the next two possessions, but Walters State tied the game for the first time since the 12-minute mark of the first half with a Moore 3-pointer.
Chattanooga State got a three-point lead back at 73-70 with free throws, but Moore hit a shot in the lane to cut it to one. The Tigers split two more free throws to get the lead to two, but Livingston gave Walters State the lead with 3:40 to go with a triple that made it 75-74.
Chattanooga State answered with a basket to take the lead back, but Livingston scored again to make it 77-76 with 2:56 to go. The Senators got a stop on consecutive possessions to hold that lead, and Jacobs hit a contested layup with 1:19 to go to make it 79-76.
The Tigers split more free throws to cut the lead to two, but Jacobs ran the shot clock down to four and threw in a layup with 33.5 seconds left to give the Senators an 81-77 advantage.
On the next possession, Walters State forced a backcourt violation. Jacobs split two free throws to make it a five-point game, before the Tigers made two with six seconds left. That brought Jacobs to the line again, where he split two more free throws. Chattanooga State had one final shot but it was off, and Walters State claimed the title.
Up Next:
Walters State will be back in action at the NJCAA DI Tournament in Hutchinson, KS. The tournament is March 24-30.
Rob Harvey
Walters State Community College
Sports Information Director
Cell: (423) 779-8880
Email: sportsinfo@ws.edu
Website: www.ws.edu/athletics