JACKSONVILLE — Tyler Junior College advanced to the Region XIV Basketball Tournament championship without having to take the basketball court.

A clerical omission discovered Friday on an NJCAA Spring Eligibility Form caused Navarro College to forfeit its spot in the semifinals against TJC.

The Apaches (23-8) will play San Jacinto (28-4) for the Region XIV Tournament championship at 8 p.m. Saturday at Jacksonville ISD Gymnasium. The winner receives the conference’s automatic bid to the NJCAA National Tournament March 16 to 21 in Hutchinson, Kansas. TJC is seeking its first regional championship since 1996.

Navarro had to not only forfeit its quarterfinal win over Coastal Bend (90-56) on Thursday, but also 11 wins from the 16-game 2015 spring season.

Navarro athletic director Roark Montgomery said that the name of one Navarro player had been omitted from the NJCAA spring eligibility form. According to NJCAA rules, the Bulldogs have to forfeit the wins in which the player participated.

“This is a clerical error and I will take full responsibility for it,” Montgomery told Mike Montfort of the Corsicana Daily Sun. “It has nothing to do with academics whatsoever. It’s a certification form.

“This is the worst thing that has ever happened,” he continued, “because it is such a simple thing. I do this seven times a year for 20 years. I don’t make mistakes like that. I don’t know how it was missed. I have these forms on my desk two or three days before they are submitted, just to take the time to check and recheck them against rosters. It has made me almost physically sick today. It’s just tragic. I’m at a loss.”

NJCAA eligibility forms are completed for each sport, but basketball is the only one for which fall and spring forms are filed.

Shortly after noon Friday, Dr. Tim Drain, TJC athletic director, Montgomery and Region XIV Tournament director Lynn Nabi met with NJCAA executive director Mary Ellen Leicht and assistant executive Director for Compliance Brian Beck on conference call to resolve the matter.

NJCAA officials determined that Coastal Bend could replace Navarro for the semifinal. However, Drain said the Cougars had dispersed in many directions Friday morning as the school is on spring break. Some returned to the Bellville campus some six hours from Jacksonville and others were flying home, Coastal Bend athletic director Estevan Vasquez confirmed.

Drain noted the NJCAA officials said if Coastal Bend could not play, then it goes down as a bye.

If the Cougars had returned to Jacksonville to play, head coach Larry Mendes would have been unable to coach the team after he was ejected from Thursday’s quarterfinal loss to Navarro.

TJC’s walkover to Saturday’s finals is believed to be the first in Region XIV Tournament history, which is in its 67th year.

“I feel bad for Navarro; I feel back for Roark; I feel bad for Michael (Landers, NC head coach), and especially for the players who put on a great display of basketball (Thursday),” Drain said. “They are truly a great team. It is unfortunate. Obviously, Tyler benefits and that is the bad part for me because I would have much rather had gotten here and everything was fine (so the teams would play).”