TCC men survive upset bid at Gulf Coast

@PCNHDustinKent contributed to this story 

PANAMA CITY, Fla. (March 6, 2021) – Tallahassee Community College opened the second half of its Panhandle Conference schedule with a 70-61 win at Gulf Coast State College on Saturday. 

Tallahassee improved to 13-2 overall with the victory. More importantly, the Region 8 No. 1/NJCAA No. 9 Eagles are 7-2 in PC play, which sets up a battle for first place with Chipola College when the teams play on Tuesday evening at the Bill Hebrock Eagledome. 

In the teams' last meeting two weeks ago, Tallahassee administered a 40-point blowout. On Saturday, the Commodores looked every bit the part of a team ranked in the NJCAA top ten to start the season. 

With 7:13 left in the game, Tallahassee found itself clinging to a 52-51 lead. After a Gulf Coast State free throw tied the game, the Eagles' defense delivered in a big way, forcing three consecutive turnovers. 

The result: a slam dunk by Jeremiah Kendall and a three-pointer from Shawn Walker to give Tallahassee a 57-52 lead at the 5:37 mark. 

Later, another steal and slam by Kendall pushed the lead to eight with 1:30 remaining, all but sealing the victory. 

Kendall finished with 13 points and 12 rebounds. Walker had 11 points. 

Tallahassee found itself in an early 11-5 hole before rattling off 13 unanswered points. A three by El Ellis finished the run and gave the Eagles an 18-11 lead. 

Tallahassee lead 31-26 at the half. 

Ellis finished with 15 points, 10 rebounds and five assists.

Tuesday's game with Chipola is scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. tip.