Wrapping up their last non-conference game, the SCF basketball team (14-12, 4-4 Suncoast) were pushed to their limits as they defeated Florida Gateway (11-16) 85-69 in their first ever matchup.
"These games are always tough to play because you got a team with no pressure coming into it," said head coach Tom Parks. "They're on the road against DI junior college teams and are a new program with one more game after this and we're their last division one JUCO opponent and they're gonna be hungry to win with a lot of good players regardless of any level. They fought and played with a lot of confidence. They were times I even thought we played really good defense and they were still able to make some plays on the stretch and didn't quit on the glass. I give them props because that was a heck of a team and performance on their behalf."
Going into the first half, the Manatees started off slow and were down by 12 points, but after some adjustments, the Manatees were able to take the lead with big help from sophomore Cyrus Barnes, who threw in several dunks to the mix. The Manatees were able to pull away in the first half by a score of 46-37.
As the second half went underway, the Manatees were able to hold the lead for eight minutes, but soon the Timberwolves were able to take advantage of some of the Manatees' mistakes, including personal and technical fouls, and soon took the lead by as much as five points. The damage got worse as freshman D'Moi Hodge buckled on his knee and would not return for the rest of the game. But Parks had other ideas.
"The first 35 minutes, we couldn't get any momentum or go on a run and I told the guys in the last time out with 4:58 left that we haven't got a run all night and this is our run. If we get three stops in a row then we can win the game," said Parks.
And like magic, they did with big stops from Barnes and fellow sophomore DeAndre Osuigwe as they managed to get steals and take advantage of the Timberwolves' bad passes. The Manatees also had a big help offensively as sophomore Clearance Miles pulled up two 3-pointers.
"They had 67 points and then 69, so we held them to two points in the last five minutes, so it was a very impressive defensive effort from the guys that came in and got stops, which was great to see," said Parks on the teams' defense.
In the end, the Manatees managed to regain their composure and put themselves back in the lead. Barnes and freshman Isiah Dasher led the way for the Manatees as they combined for 42 points (Barnes, 20; Dasher, 21). Barnes added four rebounds and a block while Dasher added five rebounds and an assist. Osuigwe and sophomore Tre Alexandra finished with seven points each.
"We came out kind of flat," said Barnes. "We just had people step up after we lost three players due to ejections, fouling out, but we kept going."
"Overall, I thought I did good," said Barnes on his performance. "I got rebounds and did everything I was suppose to do and stayed solid. The only thing I need to do is work on not fouling."
The Manatees not only lost Hodge, but they also lost sophomore Miles Wilson. Wilson finished with six points, four rebounds and a block before being ejected. As a result, Wilson will not dress for the next three games in conference.
One of the players that stepped up big in the second half was freshman Max Bell-Ramos. The Venezuelan, who played briefly in the first half hitting a free throw, came into play and finished with six points and five rebounds.
"I think in the beginning of the game, we were struggling on defense and didn't focus enough in the game," said Bell-Ramos. "But thanks to the players off the bench that came up in the last minutes of the game, we did a good job. I was hoping for coach (Parks) to put me in the game. There were a few games I didn't play in. When two of our players got ejected, I had to step in for the team and I did my job to help the team get the 'W'."
Other players that came into play defensively came from freshman Chris Scarborough and sophomore Joel Coffey. Scarborough added six points, three rebounds and a block while Coffey added two points, a rebound and two blocks. Freshman Max Richards also added three points and four rebounds. Hodge would finish with one point and five rebounds before his knee injury.
Up Next:
The Manatees will head back to Winter Haven to take on Polk State (11-14, 4-4 Suncoast) on Saturday, February 9 at 4 pm.
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