Cougar Men's Hoops Posts Undefeated Opening Weekend

PHOENIX ---

Playing three games in three days, the South Mountain Community College men's basketball team (3-0) won all three to open head coach Cory Hoff's first season with a flourish. The Cougars defeated Arizona Christian (JV) 106-54 on Oct. 31, posted a 102-58 victory over Park-Gilbert (JV) on Nov. 1, and wrapped up the weekend with a 79-60 win over the GCU Club Team on Nov. 2, with all games taking place at Phoenix College. 

"I'm proud of how our guys kicked off the weekend. We showed flashes defensively of what we can do when we are locked in. I thought we did a decent job shooting the basketball when we were unselfish and created offense for others," said first-year SMCC head coach Cory Hoff. "We have a long way to go in order to compete against the heavy hitters in the ACCAC. It's always better to win, though. This weekend was a testament to the work our players & assistant coaches have put in this preseason. We've got to turn our focus to a very talented NJCAA Division I team up at Yavapai College. They will be an incredibly tough test on Friday night."

Arizona Christian (JV) Recap

SMCC started their season with a 106-54 victory over the ACU Firestorm (JV) squad on Halloween. The Cougars led 57-22 at halftime and shot a blistering 60.3 percent (47 of 78) from the field over the 40 minutes. They added 51 rebounds, including 19 offensive boards, 23 assists, 23 steals, and two blocks in the victory. 

Freshman Travis Vasquez led SMCC with 19 points in his collegiate debut, finishing 8 of 10 from the field and 2 of 3 from the 3-point line. He added seven rebounds, six steals, five assists, and a block. 

Freshman I'yar Shadowvine was second on the team with 18 points, including the first seven points of the contest. He was 7 of 15 from the floor and knocked down a team-high three 3-pointers. Shadowvine also had two rebounds. 

Sophomore Blake Carabio came off the bench to post 12 points. He made 6 of 9 shots from the field and added six rebounds, two assists, and two steals. Fellow sophomore Brandon Mangahas also had a dozen points off the bench, going 5 of 10 from the floor. He added two rebounds and two assists. 

Freshman Semajay James was the fifth Cougar in double-figures, posting 10 points on 4 of 6 shooting and a 3-pointer. He also produced four rebounds, three assists, two steals, and a block. 

Freshman Jadden Jones filled the stat sheet with six points, eight rebounds, six assists, and seven steals, while sophomore Dionte LaMaide and freshman Eric Butler scored eight points apiece. 

Park-Gilbert (JV) Recap

The Cougars rolled to a 102-58 victory over Park-Gilbert (JV) Buccaneers on Saturday, Nov. 1. SMCC led 60-30 at halftime and ultimately shot 45.8 percent (38 of 83) from the field with 11 3-pointers. The Cougars also posted 51 rebounds, 22 assists, and 12 steals in the victory. 

Escalante led the charge offensively for SMCC, finishing with a career-high 26 points. He was 9 of 16 from the field, 3 of 5 from 3-point range, and 5 of 6 from the free-throw line in 27 minutes to set the new personal best. He added five rebounds, four steals, and three assists in the win. 

Carabio was second on the squad with 23 points in 18 minutes as a reserve. He connected on 5 of 9 3-point attempts and was 9 of 13 from the floor overall. He added four rebounds and three steals. 

Shadowvine finished with 12 points, two rebounds, two assists, and a steal in 18 minutes, and James and freshman Devone Pless scored eight points apiece off the bench. Pless led the Cougars with nine rebounds, including five on the offensive glass, and added an assist in 13 minutes, while James had seven rebounds, six of which were offensive, five assists, and two steals in 21 minutes. 

Vasquez had seven points, four assists, three rebounds, and a steal in 19 minutes, while freshman Gak Kueth had six points, two rebounds, an assist, and a steal in 17 minutes. 

Jones posted four points, five rebounds, two assists, and two steals, and freshman Eric Butler recorded four points and five rebounds. 

GCU Club Team Recap

The Cougars closed out their opening weekend with a 79-60 victory over the GCU Club Team on Sunday, Nov. 2. SMCC led 17-4 and 22-7 early over the Antelopes and held a 42-27 lead at halftime. SMCC held on for a 37-33 second-half victory to finish the weekend 3-0. 

Carabio led the charge offensively for SMCC, posting 19 points off the bench in 25 minutes. He knocked down five 3-pointers and finished 7 of 11 overall on the field, and added two rebounds and a steal. 

Shadowvine was second on the squad with 17 points, finishing 5 of 9 from the floor with three 3-pointers in 29 minutes. He added four rebounds, two assists, and a steal in the victory. 

Escalante and James each posted 13 points. Escalante added three steals, two rebounds, and an assist in 21 minutes, while James led SMCC with nine rebounds and also had two assists and a steal in 18 minutes. 

Vasquez dished out a career-high 10 assists and added four rebounds, two steals, and seven points in 29 minutes. Jones produced eight rebounds, five points, three steals, one block, and one assist in 29 minutes.