The Indians only led for a little more than nine minutes in their semi-final matchup with Eastern Florida State College but it was good enough to capture the 70-61 win and move onto the Championship Game of the FCSAA State Tournament.
The Titans dominated early as they held the Indians to their lowest point total in a half this season. The Indians were able to stay within striking distance and trailed at the half 28-23.
In the second half, the Titans were able to build their lead to ten with just over seventeen minutes remaining in the game. From there, Chipola used a 15-5 run to tie the game with eleven minutes still on the clock.
With 9:13 left in the game, Lance Erving made a layup to give the Indians a 46-45 lead. The Indians held the lead the rest of the way on their way to the 70-61 victory.
Jaeden Zackery and Carlos Lemus paced the Indians' attack with 16 points each. The Indians' bench outscored the Titans' bench 26-6 with Lance Erving and Dontae Walked combining for 24 of those points.
The Indians will take on Indian River State College in the championship game on Saturday night at 7:30 PM. The Pioneers advanced to the final with a 74-71 win over Florida SouthWestern State College. Indian River is 18-2 on the season and have a 9-game winning streak.
Game Notes
- The Indians scored 22 points off Titans' turnovers.
- Jaeden Zackery and Carlos Zackery were each 9-of-10 from the free throw line.
- Chipola held the Titans to just 3-of-18 from beyond the arc (16.7 percent)