ROCKFORD, Ill. — The No. 6-seeded Bryant & Stratton's men's basketball team is moving onto the Region 4 Championship after defeating No. 3-seeded Rock Valley.

Both squads met previously in February, where the Golden Eagles walked away with a 77-69 victory. However, it was the Bobcats walking away with the win in the rematch.

The teams provided an offensive explosion in the first 10 minutes and recorded 42 total points. Nine three-point shots were made in that span. However, Bobcats forward Jaheem Tyson found himself in early foul trouble. 

“Jah’s early foul trouble certainly was not ideal, but we have a next man up mentality and Amir Ford came in and did a great job for us defensively,” Bobcats head coach Chuck Ruffing said. “We also have the ability to play small ball at times if need be.”

Bryant & Stratton College closed out the first half with a five-point lead, and it would build that lead seven minutes into the second half, leading 49-38, following a jump shot from Karter Thomas. Thomas finished with 22 points, but the Bobcats also received a valuable performance from sophomore Parker Grant.

“Karter is our go-to guy offensively and really sets the tone for the rest of our team,” Ruffing said. “Parker has played some really great basketball this entire month when he’s dialed in mentally, we have one of the best backcourts there is.”

Ruffing’s squad never relinquished its lead, and it walked away with a 63-54 win to advance to the Region 4 Championship. It’s the Bobcats’ second consecutive year making it the championship, their third time overall, and they’ll look to win it for the first time.

It’ll be a tall task with Bryant & Stratton facing the No. 2-seeded MATC Stormers, who handed the Bobcats a 21-point loss back on Feb. 13. But Ruffing’s team knows it must be focused, and he'll do his best to make sure they're ready for the rematch. 

“It was an awesome win, and I was really proud of our guy's ability to execute and stay disciplined throughout the whole game,” Ruffing said. “We are starting to hit our stride at the right time. Make no mistake about it, though, the job is not done. I walked into that locker room, and the whole team held up the number one. One more game we need to be locked in and play Bobcat basketball.”

The Bobcats and Stormers will duke it out at Rock Valley College on March 9 at 2 p.m.