MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Huntingdon turned back LaGrange's bid for its first Great South Athletic Conference Championship Tournament title Saturday at Roland Arena. The tournament host Hawks outlasted the Panthers 77-72 in overtime.
The Panthers (5-22) finished second in the GSAC tournament for the second straight year. It was the third appearance in the title game for the Panthers.
Huntingdon (12-14) won its second GSAC title. The Hawks were seeded third in the tournament.
The Panthers became the first team to play back-to-back overtime games in the GSAC tournament. The Panthers had defeated top-seeded Maryville 79-75 in the semifinals Friday. It also was the first time since the 1996-97 season the Panthers had played back-to-back overtime games.
Senior Nic Whitfield led the Panthers with 19 points in his final game. It was also the final game for fellow seniors Britt Gaylor, Brandon Maddox, Stephen Spivey and Stephen Tuck.
Blake Craft followed Whitfield with a career-high 18 points. He was a perfect 4-for-4 from 3-point range, including the one that sent the game into overtime. Marcus Vaughn had 12 points and a team-high eight rebounds.
Whitfield was the only Panther starter not to foul out in the game. Craft, Spivey, Vaughn and Denzel Robinson all fouled out. The Panthers were whistled for 33 fouls in the game, while Huntingdon was called for 18.
Huntingdon scored the final seven points of the first half to lead 37-29 at halftime. The Hawks led 44-33 early in the second half.
The Panthers used a 9-0 run to get back into the game. Craft tied the game at 51 with a 3-pointer with 8:23 left in regulation.
Marcus Vaughn completed a three-point play to give the Panthers a 60-55 lead with 2:11 left in the game. The Hawks answered with seven straight points to go up 63-60 with 22 seconds left.
Craft sent the game into overtime with a 3-pointer with 10 second left. Craft's shot from the top of the key banked off the glass to tie the game at 63.
Spivey gave the Panthers a 65-63 lead at the start of the overtime period. Deshaun Williams' two free throws put the Hawks ahead to stay, 67-65 with three minutes left. The Hawks built a 77-67 lead before the Panthers scored the final five points.
The Panthers shot 61.9 percent in the second half. They finished the game shooting 45.6 percent.
Huntingdon shot 37.7 percent for the game. The Hawks had a 32-15 edge at the free throw line, going to the foul line 46 times in the game.
