SMCC Men's Basketball Rallies to Defeat Mesa CC
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Mesa Community College (9-19, 6-12 ACCAC) | 33 | 30 | 63 |
|
South Mountain Community College (12-17, 7-10) | 28 | 39 | 67 |
PHOENIX ---
The South Mountain Community College men's basketball team (12-17, 7-10 ACCAC) defeated Mesa CC 67-63 in an ACCAC game at the SMCC Gym on Feb. 26. Down five at halftime, the Cougars rallied in the second half to post the victory and move closer to a playoff berth. Sophomore Jacob Taylor led the Cougars with 22 points, Cash Callaway scored 15, including a crucial 3-pointer, and sophomore Julius Williams and freshman Drew Hoxie finished with 15 and 10, respectively, in the victory.
The victory, coupled with a Scottsdale CC loss at Glendale CC, moves SMCC into fourth place in the ACCAC Region I Division II standings with the top four teams advacing to the Region I Division II Tournament. The Cougars can clinch a playoff berth with a victory Saturday over visiting Chandler-Gilbert CC or if Scottsdale CC loses its regular season finale at Pima CC. All of the teams' final games are Saturday, Mar. 1.
Trailing 33-28 at halftime, the Cougars and Thunderbirds went back and forth in the second half to determine a winner. MCC led by four with just under nine minutes to play. A Hoxie basket and back-to-back buckets from Williams gave SMCC a 52-50 lead with 6:56 left, and after MCC tied it up at 54-54, Hoxie broke the tie with a tip-in at with 3:40 to go.
Callaway hit a 3-pointer at 3:03 to put SMCC ahead by five, but the Thunderbirds would not go away quietly. They stayed within striking distance and cut the score to 63-61 with 24 seconds left. Taylor then iced the game with four free throws in the game's final 20 seconds.
Taylor was 8 of 19 from the field in 34 minutes and added six rebounds and one assist. Callaway was 5 of 13 from the floor with three 3-pointers, six rebounds, two assists, and two steals in 38 minutes.
Williams shot 6 of 15 from the floor and tied Hoxie for the team lead with seven rebounds. Hoxie went 4 of 6 from the floor and added three assists and one steal to his rebounds.
Freshman McKay Anderson added five points and three steals off the bench, and sophomore Jayven Driscoll added six rebounds.