Posted: Feb 26, 2026
Devone Pless Beats the Buzzer as SMCC Men's Hoops Defeats Scottsdale CC
Scottsdale Community College
(15-13, 9-8 ACCAC)
73
South Mountain Community College
(24-5, 13-4 ACCAC)
75
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Scottsdale Community College (15-13, 9-8 ACCAC) | 33 | 40 | 73 |
|
South Mountain Community College (24-5, 13-4 ACCAC) | 35 | 40 | 75 |
PHOENIX ---
Freshman Devone Pless tipped in an inbounds with one second left to lift the South Mountain Community College men's basketball team to a 75-73 victory over Scottsdale CC on Wednesday, Feb. 25, at the SMCC Gym. Pless finished with 13 points, freshman Travis Vasquez led the Cougars with 18 points, and sophomores Parker Escalante and Blake Carabio scored 12 points apiece on a victorious Sophomore Night at The Cougar Den.
In what could be a preview of the upcoming NJCAA Region I Division II Tournament, the Cougars and Artichokes engaged in a back-and-forth affair that featured seven ties and seven lead changes. SMCC led early, building a 14-point lead with about 10 minutes left in the first half. However, SCC fought back behind 12 first-half points from McCafde Peterson and trailed 35-33 at halftime. Vasquez led the Cougars with 10 points while Carabio had eight.
The Artichokes carried the momentum into the second half and eventually led by six with less than 12 minutes to play. Escalante made a pair of free throws, and freshman Semajay James added a lay-up, but SCC hit a 3-pointer to go back up five and maintained that advantage with 7:57 left.
James converted a three-point play to pull SMCC within two, and Vasquez tied the game at 61-61 with 6:45 left. Freshman Dylan Eaddy made a 3-pointer to put SMCC ahead 67-64, and Escalante added a lay-up on the next possession to put SMCC ahead five.
The Artichokes trailed by five with 1:52 left after a lay-up from Pless, but they made a 3-pointer on their next trip down the floor and tied the game on free throws with 46 seconds left.
Escalante made a lay-up to put SMCC ahead 73-71, but SCC tied the game on free throws with seven seconds left. SMCC set up a play afterwards, but SCC blocked Escalante's lay-up under the basket with one second on the clock. Vasquez found a slashing Pless who elevated above the defense and tipped the ball off the glass and through the hoop as time expired.
"It's always good when you find a way to win on Sophomore Night. I couldn't be more proud of Blake, Brandon, and Parker for wrapping up their careers at home with a win. Looking at the box score, we were out-rebounded by 12, called for 19 fouls, and our opponent made 14 more free throws than us. It's amazing that we found a way to win," said SMCC head coach Cory Hoff. "That sums up our guys though: they believe in each other and continue to find ways. The credit on our last possession goes to Devone and I'yar Shadowvine. They both came into the huddle and suggested the play that we ended up calling to win the game. They deserve all the credit for that end of game decision. Travis threw a great pass to allow us an opportunity to score off it. We are banged up with injuries right now, but our guys didn't take that excuse tonight and continue to find ways to win for each other."
SMCC shot 47 percent (31 of 66) from the field and made six 3-pointers. The Cougars totaled 28 rebounds, 11 assists, 12 steals, and one block in the win. SMCC held a 36-18 advantage in points in the paint and scored 19 points off 18 SCC turnovers. The SMCC bench chipped in 43 points.
Vasquez was 8 of 16 from the floor with one 3-pointer in 31 minutes. He dished out a team-high four assists and added three steals and a rebound.
Pless shot 6 of 12 in 24 minutes, and added six rebounds, one assist, one steal, and one block.
Carabio made three 3-pointers to fuel his 12 points, and he posted five rebounds, two assists, and two steals in 31 minutes. Escalante was 5 of 9 from the floor and led SMCC with four steals. He also had two assists and a rebound.
James finished with eight points and three rebounds in 19 minutes, while James had six points, four rebounds, and an assist.
