Cougar Men's Hoops Fends Off Gauchos for Key Road Win

Freshmen Gak Kueth and Jadden Jones and sophomore Parker Escalante connected on key baskets down the stretch to help lift the South Mountain Community College men's basketball team to a 68-65 victory at Glendale CC on Wednesday, Feb. 11. Freshman Semajay James led SMCC with 14 points in 22 minutes off the bench. Freshman I'yar Shadowvine added 13 as the Cougars snuffed out any chances of a comeback. The victory ensures SMCC will host a postseason game for the first time in 10 years. 

 

SMCC led 35-34 at halftime and built a five-point lead with less than 10 minutes to play. The game continued to go back-and-forth, and Kueth made lay-ups, his only two shots in 15 minutes on the floor, with 5:10 and 4:13 left to push SMCC back ahead by three each time.

 

The Gauchos fought back on their home court and cut the deficit to 63-62 with 3:21 left, only for Escalante to make a baseline lay-up to re-establish the three-point advantage with just over three minutes to play.

 

Jones then connected on a key 3-pointer with 2:40 left that put SMCC ahead 68-63. GCC kept fighting and forced an SMCC turnover with 5.9 seconds left in the second half. However, their two looks beyond the arc were no good, including one final attempt moments before the buzzer.

 

"That was a great environment to play in, and it was a back-and-forth battle. We didn't defend at our best tonight, but we did enough to get it done. Road games are always tough in this conference, and our guys found enough in the tank to get stops late," said SMCC head coach Cory Hoff. "More importantly, we've clinched the No. 2 seed for the Region I Division II Tournament and will host a Semifinal playoff game. This hasn't happened at SMCC since the 2015-16 season. I am incredibly proud of what our guys have accomplished so far this season. They have bought into playing unselfish basketball while sacrificing personal goals in favor of winning. It speaks to the character of the players on this team. They are far from satisfied and look forward to the opportunity to play in front of our home fans on Saturday."

 

The Cougars finished at even 50 percent (27 of 54) from the field and 42.1 percent (8 of 19) from 3-point range. SMCC totaled 35 rebounds, 18 assists, four steals, and three blocked shots in the win.

 

James was 5 of 7 from the field with a 3-pointer. He grabbed eight rebounds to tie for the team lead with Jones, who finished with six points and two assists in addition to the work on the glass.

 

Shadowvine was 5 of 13 overall and made a pair of 3-pointers in 29 minutes. He added three rebounds and three assists. Escalante had nine points in 17 minutes, making a pair of 3-pointers to go with two rebounds, two assists, and a steal.

 

Freshman Travis Vasquez led the Cougars with seven assists and added two points, one rebound, and one steal. Freshman Devone Pless produced a season-high three blocked shots and added nine points, seven rebounds, and one steal.