Posted: Mar 06, 2026
Cougar Men's Basketball Falls to Scottsdale CC in Region I Division II Tournament
Scottsdale Community College
(17-13)
65
South Mountain Community College
(25-6)
57
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Scottsdale Community College (17-13) | 25 | 40 | 65 |
|
South Mountain Community College (25-6) | 19 | 38 | 57 |
PHOENIX ---
The South Mountain Community College men's basketball team (25-6) lost 65-57 to Scottsdale CC in an NJCAA Region I Division II Tournament Semifinal on Thursday, Mar. 5, at The Cougar Den in the SMCC Gym. Sophomore Blake Carabio led SMCC with 14 points, including a dramatic four-point play late in the second half, but the Artichoke's Quincy Kirk made several key baskets down the stretch to lift SCC to the victory.
The second half saw the Cougars mount a spirited comeback after trailing by six at the half. After SCC pushed the lead to eight with less than 14 minutes to play, sophomore Brandon Mangahas made a lay-up, Carabio connected on a 3-pointer, and freshman Travis Vasquez converted an old-fashioned three-point play to tie the game at 36-36 with 11:47 to play.
Carabio made another 3-pointer with 8:19 left, putting SMCC ahead 42-40. After SCC pulled back ahead, freshman Devone Pless made a pair of free throws to put SMCC ahead 46-45 with 6:15 to play. The Cougars then pulled ahead again, 52-51, after Carabio canned a 3-pointer, drew the foul, and drained the free throw with just over four minutes to play.
The Cougars pushed their lead to three with just under four minutes to go, but SCC scored off an offensive rebound with 2:41 to play, and Kirk made a long 3-pointer with 1:47 to go, putting the Artichokes up 58-54. SMCC got a look at a 3-pointer on the next possession, but it rimmed out, Kirk got the rebound, and SCC made its free throws down the stretch to seal the win. In all, the game featured 13 lead changes and was tied seven times.
The Cougars trailed 25-19 at halftime. Freshman Dylan Eaddy led SMCC with five points at the break, while Pless had four points and 10 rebounds.
Carabio made three 3-pointers and added two rebounds and a steal in 22 minutes off the bench. Eaddy totaled nine points and added four rebounds and two assists in 17 minutes.
Vasquez finished with nine points, four assists, and one rebound in 36 minutes, while Pless posted six points, one assist, and a season-high 12 rebounds. Sophomore Parker Escalante was the third Cougar to record nine points. He also had one rebound, one assist, and one steal.
Freshman Semajay James recorded seven points, seven rebounds, and one assist in 20 minutes off the bench. Freshman Jadden Jones had five rebounds and led SMCC with three steals.
