DANVILLE — Prior to Cincinnati State Technical and Community College’s championship bracket semifinal game against Lewis and Clark Community College, ‘I Gotta Feeling’ by Black Eyed Peas was pumped through the Mary Miller Gymnasium speakers.

But Surge freshman Melvyn Little didn’t need a song to tell him it was going to be a good night. Just to be safe, Cincinnati State coach Andre Tate warned his squad that Little was going to have a big night.

After 50 minutes of game time, he made his coach look brilliant by putting on a nearly flawless performance from behind the 3-point line in the Surge’s 87-85 double-overtime win over the Trailblazers.

“He’s one of the top 3-point shooters in the country,” Tate said That’s all he shoots is 3s for us. If you look at his stats, all of his shots come from behind the arc. He’s a great shooter.

“He’s been struggling the last couple of days. He had the freshmanitis a little bit for the first couple of games. But I told my coaching staff last night that Melvyn Little was going to have a good game today, and he came through for us.”

Little managed only three points in Cincinnati State’s opening-round game against top-seeded Monroe, and went scoreless against Brown Mackie on Wednesday.

Tate said that “personal problems” struck as soon as the team arrived in Danville, but with confidence and backing from his teammates, the Louisville, Ky. native pushed aside any worries and put up a game-high 21 points to help the Surge advance to tonight’s 7:30 p.m. title game against Lincoln College.

“This is our shooter,” Cincinnati State’s Charles Clarke said. “This is one of our main guys. Without him, our offense can’t function. He just knocks down shots. He stepped up today. He had a bad game last game and he stepped up today. We needed that.”

The Surge (27-8) also needed Clarke in the second overtime period after starter Illya Glover (10 points, 8 rebounds) fouled out of the game with 1:54 to go in the first overtime.

After contributing only four points during regulation, Clarke scored four of his team’s 10 points in the second overtime. His second of the two baskets put the Surge up 85-82.

“Every game there’s somebody different that steps up for us, and it’s been that way all year,” Tate said. “Some days we have six and seven guys score double figures. Some days we have three or four. But it’s been a collective effort for us all year, and it was no different today.”

The Trailblazers (24-7) began the game an impressive 8 of 9 shooting, and immediately jumped out to a 17-5 lead. But a 7-0 run quickly brought the Surge to within striking distance and eventually a 38-36 halftime lead.

LCCC found itself in early foul trouble, and by the 13:37 mark of the second half, five of the team’s players including three starters had been whistled for three fouls each.

Still, the Trailblazers kept pace with a balanced scoring attack.

“The good thing is with my team, we have balance,” LCCC coach and former Fighting Illini standout Deon Thomas said. “The players that I bring off the bench, they come in and they work extremely hard. And they do almost as good a job as our first team. You should see our practices. Our practices are brutal. So I expect those guys when they do come off the bench not to be any letdowns.”

Prior to Friday’s game, Thomas and Tate — who played high school basketball at Chicago Robeson High School with Thomas’ older brother, Derrick — discussed how the match-up was likely going to go, and they expected nothing short of the intense battle it was.

“It’s so funny,” Thomas said. “Andre and I talked yesterday. I knew, and I’m sure he knew that this is the type of game it was going to be. When Andre played (at University of Cincinnati) and when I played, it was no joking. I was all about business and that’s the way my guys have been. But I have to take my hat off to those guys. They played extremely well.

“Coach (Tate) said earlier when we had the coaches meeting when we first arrived that he didn’t receive any respect in the polls this year. And I agree with him. When we saw them this summer in the Vincennes Jamboree, I thought they were an extremely good team. I thought they would be ranked.”

Surge sophomore Rayshawn Goins had the game’s only double-double with 20 points and 17 rebounds, and James Millen finished with 16 points, 5 assists and 4 steals.

Anthony Jones (18 points, 5 assists), Rico Pierrevilus (16 points, 6 blocks, 7 rebounds) and Jimmy Payton (11 points) all reached double figures in scoring for the Trailblazers.

Now, Cincinnati State has one last opportunity to gain the respect it has been seeking throughout the season when the Surge take on the Lincoln College Lynx in tonight’s 7:30 p.m. championship game. LCCC will face Kirkwood Community College in the third-place game at 5:30 p.m.

“Everyone’s been doubting us from the beginning,” Little said. “Nobody’s been giving us no type of credit and it just feels good to be in the championship game tomorrow.”