Year one for men's basketball head coach Joe Kuhn and the Chaparrals will finish on the grand stage of NJCAA play.
 
Behind Drew Gaston's 24 points and Matt Elliott's monster game of 22 points, 10 rebounds and six blocks, the Region 4 champion Chaparrals took control down the stretch and earned an 84-70 win over Region 12 champ Lorain County (Ohio) Community College for the Great Lakes District title.
 
The Chaps, now 20-13 and winners of seven straight and 10 of their last 12 games, advance to the NJCAA Division III National Championship in Herkimer, N.Y., beginning March 15.
 
"I'm so excited for our players, who get to experience what it's all about: playing for a national championship title," Kuhn said. "They get the experience of a lifetime and that's what it's all about.''
 
A two-possession game between the Chaps and Commodores in the second half turned COD's way with a mini-surge with 8:20 left and COD owning its largest of the game to that point, 63-56 after a Finn Walsh 3-pointer.
 
The Commodores didn't go away, responding with a 6-0 run that COD answered back with seven straight points and led 70-62 with 4:54 to go.
 
"Lorain played a very good game and they got on us in the beginning,'' Kuhn said. "It's been a while since we had been challenged like that. But over the course of the stretch in the final 10 minutes of the game, the toughness we've shown over the last month was the difference.''
 
Lorain's Quante May scored 16 of his 20 first-half points in the opening 10 minutes of play, giving Lorain a 27-15 lead. COD then outscored the Commodores 25-11 and led 40-38 at the break when Gaston hit a 3-pointer just in front of the scorer's bench with one second left.
 
"May was hittin' them and he played some really sound defense,'' Kuhn said. "We made an adjustment at halftime and Finn did an unbelievable job of stopping him in the second half. Overall, we didn't shoot the ball all that well, but we made enough plays when we needed to.''
 
May cooled off in the second half, finishing with a team-high 22 points.
 
For Kuhn, it will mark his second straight trip to the NJCAAs, completing his 25-year career at Joliet with a trip in 2022.
 
The first person who approached Kuhn after the game was former Chaps head coach and fellow Hall of Famer Don Klaas, who delivered seven regional titles and the 2002 national crown in his 35-year COD career.
 
"Getting a chance to take over a once national power and getting back to nationals is an absolute thrill,'' he said. "A lot of people showed faith in me, our administration and President Dr. (Brian) Caputo. An unbelievable support is in place. A lot of people besides our players and coaching staff have played big roles. We all get to share in this.''
 
Walsh finished with 16 points and Aliijah Nelson added 12.
 
The 12-team NJCAA D3 Selection Show is expected to air Wednesday at www.njcaa.org.