VGCC Vanguards head into first conference tournament

The Vance-Granville Community College men’s basketball team played their final game of the regular season on the road, at Patrick Henry Community College in Virginia on Feb. 21. Shooting 54 percent from the floor, the PHCC Patriots defeated the VGCC Vanguards 98-70.

VGCC’s Raymond Dunn of Henderson led all scorers, with 29 points. Bryan Burrell of Raleigh added 14, and L.C. Hester of Oxford scored 12.

With the win, PHCC completed a perfect 16-0 season in conference play and won the regular season conference title. The Patriots were the only team in Region X that was nationally ranked in the latest Division II poll.

VGCC finished the regular season with a record of 14-12 (7-9 in conference play), in its first season as a member of the National Junior College Athletic Association .

Next, VGCC will play in the Region X tournament at Rockingham Community College in Wentworth, which begins Thursday, Feb. 26. VGCC will enter the regional tournament as the fifth-seeded team in the nine-school conference, and will play No. 4 seed Surry Community College on Friday, Feb. 27 at 7 p.m. In the regular season, VGCC and Surry CC split their series 1-1. PHCC will have the top seed in the tournament, while Louisburg College will be seeded number two. The title game of the single-elimination regional tournament is set for Sunday, March 1. The champion will qualify for a single-game playoff with the Region 19 tournament winner, with both teams playing for the chance to compete in the national tournament.