By Nicholas Huenefeld/Owens Sports Information

Circleville, Ohio---Cincinnati State's Winston Grays hit a jumper as time expired to give his team a 79-78 win over No. 10 Owens Community College in the Region XII District 11 championship game.

John Murry (North Central/Indianapolis, Ind.) had just given the Express the lead on a 3-point play with nine seconds left. Cincinnati State then missed a 3-pointer, but Tony Boykins (Loy Norrix/Kalamazoo, Mich.) grabbed the rebound and fell down for a traveling call with 1.8 seconds left.

Grays grabbed the ball from the right corner on the inbounds pass and drilled the shot, setting off a celebration.

The Express led by as many as 13 in the second half before the Surge answered. The final minutes experienced a back and forth pace.

Shaakir Lindsey (Teaneck/Teaneck, N.J.) led the Express with 25 points, five assists, three rebounds and three steals. Bikramjit Gill (Our Ascension of the Lord/Toronto, Ontario, Canada) added 12 points, 10 rebounds, two blocks, two steals and one assist.

Murry and Boykins each added 11 points.

Grays led the Surge with 24 points, while McKinley Bell and DJ Cogdell each had 10.

The Express finish their season 25-6 overall, while the No. 1 Surge improve to 27-3 overall. They will advance to the NJCAA D-II National Tournament in Danville, Ill.