Highland steals Region 4 championship in OT thriller

FREEPORT, ILL. - An unbelievable come-from-behind effort by Highland Community College netted the second-seeded Cougars a surprising 73-70 overtime upset of top-seeded Triton College to win the 2023 Region 4 Division I Men's Basketball Champoinship. The title is the first since 2020 for Highland, who was led by Region 4 Tournament MVP Ramean Hinton and Region 4 Coach of the Year Luke Norman. (Highland Recap)

Triton College, ranked #14 in the last NJCAA Division I Poll, owned a narrow 25-21 lead at halftime, but grew that advantage to 62-53 with 83 seconds remaining. The Cougars responded with a 10-1 run that was capped by a Johnny Melvin buzzer beater to send the game to overtime. In the extra session, Highland narrowly edged the Trojans by a 10-7 margin to win the title.

Hinton finished with nine points and 17 rebounds, and was joined on the Region 4 All-Tournament Team by Johnny Melvin following his 16 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists. Markwan Adams also added 16 points and Demetrus Johnson II pitched in with a dozen points off the bench.

Highland Community College advanced to and hosted the NJCAA Midwest District Championship on March 11 against Region 16 winner and #4-ranked Moberly Area Community College. The Cougars lossed 66-52 to end their season with a 24-10 record. Moberly Area qualified for the 2023 NJCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship in Hutchinson, Kansas, on March 20-25. 

2023 Region 4 Division I All-Tournament Team
Ramean Hinton - Highland Community College
Johnny Melvin - Highland Community College
Ethan Pickett - Triton College
Kimahri Wilson - Triton College
Devon House - Sauk Valley Community College
Rob Stroud - Kankakee Community College

2023 Region 4 Tournament MVP
Ramean Hinton - Highland Community College

2023 Region 4 Coach of the Year
Luke Norman - Highland Community College