CTC men’s hoops preparing for GCAA tourney opener Tuesday

The Chattahoochee Tech men’s basketball squad is gearing up for a road trip south to face Albany Tech on Tuesday, March 6 in the first round of the GCAA region tournament. Due to scheduling conflicts, the game will be played at the nearby Darton College gym with tip-off at 7:30 p.m.

The Golden Eagles (19-11, 8-10 GCAA) earned the No. 5 seed after winning a tiebreaker with Waycross College and East Georgia, against whom CTC went a combined 3-1. Albany Tech, the No. 4 seed, won two close matchups with the Golden Eagles during the regular season, taking a 66-58 December contest in Albany and winning on a last-second, half-court shot in Smyrna on Jan. 31.

Chatt Tech recently saw two of its players earn all-conference recognition from the GCAA. Sophomore center Asauhn Dixon-Tatum, the nation’s blocks leader with 5.4 per contest, was named second-team All-GCAA and Defensive Player of the Year. Dixon-Tatum is also averaging 11.8 rebounds per game — first in the conference and fifth in the country — and 10.8 points per game. Freshman point guard Sean Tate, the conference assists leader with 6.6 per game and team leader with 13.6 points per game, earned Honorable Mention recognition.

The Titans (15-15, 9-9) feature first-team All-GCAA selection Jamorris Gaines, who leads the conference in scoring at 18.9 points per game.

Chattahoochee Tech has won four of its last five games, dropping only a 96-89 overtime decision at Gordon College. The Golden Eagles have won two straight, taking care of Central Georgia Tech, 86-63, and Macon State, 119-57, both at home.

The winner of Tuesday’s game will move on to the semifinals and a matchup with either No. 1 Georgia Perimeter or No. 8 South Georgia Tech on Friday, March 9. On the other side of the bracket Tuesday, No. 3 Middle Georgia hosts No. 6 East Georgia, and No. 2 Gordon hosts No. 7 Waycross. Both semifinal games will be played at the home site of the highest remaining seed, as will the Saturday, March 10 championship game.