South Suburban wins Midwest Region 4B title, reaches NJCAA nationals

South Suburban College’s 74-70 win over Rock Valley College did more than deliver the Midwest Region 4B District Championship. It sent the Bulldogs of South Holland, Illinois, into the NJCAA Division II National Championship Tournament and gave the program its clearest sign yet that this postseason run was built to last.

The school called it a "historic journey to the NJCAA Division II National Championship Tournament," and the label fits. South Suburban had to survive elimination basketball to get there, then finish the job against Rock Valley in a game that left no margin for drift. Under NJCAA rules, each district champion earns an automatic bid to nationals, so the Bulldogs did exactly what March demands: protect their path, win the pressure game, and turn a regional title into a national berth.

That breakthrough also carries the imprint of John Pigatti, who is in his 20th season as South Suburban’s head coach and has compiled a 545-105 record, .838, at the school. South Suburban also honored Pigatti as the Midwest District A Coach of the Year in a postseason feature, another marker that this is not a one-off surge but the product of a long build. The Bulldogs entered the season ranked No. 6 in the nation in a preseason poll, and the district title brought the results in line with the expectation.

The roster behind the run includes Damarco Minor, Camron Donatlan and Damontae Tayl, names now attached to a team that has moved from regional contender to national qualifier. South Suburban’s postseason identity has changed because the Bulldogs have shown they can win the games that decide whether a season keeps going.

That test gets even sharper at nationals. South Suburban’s recap archive shows the #9 Bulldogs later fell 92-86 in overtime to Lansing Community College in the consolation bracket of the NJCAA Division II National Championship Tournament, a reminder that one possession can swing everything once the bracket opens up. NJCAA seedings were scheduled to be announced Tuesday, March 10 at 6 p.m. ET through the NJCAA Network, and the Bulldogs arrived in that conversation with a district championship already in hand.