Griffins Men's Basketball Captures First HCAC Championship in 15 Years

The Southgate Griffins men's basketball team defeated Kettridge College 71-64 Saturday night to win the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference tournament championship, the program's first conference title since 2011. The win secures an automatic berth in the NCAA Division III tournament.

Senior guard Marcus Delacroix scored 24 points and was named tournament most valuable player, capping a breakout season in which he led the HCAC in scoring. Head coach Ben Tolliver, in his fourth season at Southgate, called the win "a program-defining moment."

Roughly 1,800 fans packed the Kessler Fieldhouse for the championship game, with the student section arriving hours early to claim seats. The Griffins will learn their NCAA tournament seeding and opponent next week.

Athletic Director Renee Castellano said the title reflects investments made in recent years in strength and conditioning facilities and coaching staff. "This is a group of players and coaches who bought into a culture, and tonight they got to celebrate it together," she said.