3rd Herd Claims Home Openers

Bradenton, Fla - Despite no fans being in attendance at Hal Chasey Gymnasium, the SCF basketball team (2-1) pulled off two close wins as they defeated Eastern Florida State (1-1) 77-75 Friday night before defeating Chipola (2-1) 69-67. With the wins, the Manatees are now 1-2 against the Titans and 1-2 against the Indians. No fans were allowed to attend due to preventing the spread of COVID-19.

“It felt great to be at home,” said head coach Tom Parks. “Whether there are fans or not, Hal Chasey Gymnasium is something special. There’s so much character, history and tradition here. Anytime we have a chance to wear white uniforms at home and get a win is a phenomenal feeling.”

SCF vs EFSC:

To open the home season, it was almost dejavu all over again for the Manatees as they opened the scoring gates first as sophomore Marshall Kearing scored the first five points of the game, similar to the opening game against Chipola. The game was much more consistent for the Manatees with very few turnovers.

In the end, the Manatees pulled away thanks to strong defense that helped seals the deal against the Titans.

Four Manatees scored in double figures and it was yet again freshman James “Pop” Weathers that lead the Manatees offense as he finished with 20 points (7-for-20 FG, 1-for-5 3PT, 5-for-7 FT), six rebounds, six assists and six steals. Classmate Decorrian “DK” Kelly followed with 17 points (7-for-16 FG, 3-for-10 3PT), two rebounds, four assists and three steals, while sophomore Marshall Kearing had 13 points (6-for-13 FG, 1-for-4 3PT), five rebounds, two assists, a steal and two blocks. Freshman Kwo Agwa rounded out the order with 11 points (5-for-12 FG, 1-for-1 FT), seven rebounds, three assists and two steals.

Freshmen Javon Bell (nine points, five rebounds, three assists, two steal and a block) and Michael Hatcher (three points, one rebound and one steal) and sophomores Jordan Clark (four points, one rebound, one assist and one steal) and Sam Grayson (two points and four rebounds) also contributed in the game, while redshirt freshman Raequan Miller made his SCF debut after sitting out last season.

For the Titans, sophomore Christyon Eugene lead the offense with a double-double of 21 points and 14 rebounds while freshman Lovre Zaja added 14 points and five assists off the bench.

SCF vs Chipola:

In the rematch between SCF and Chipola, it remained in the Manatees favor as they continued to counter the Indians press and zone defense in success despite the Indians hard-fought effort cutting down the Manatees deficit lead.

In the end, it was Bell that lead the way against the Indians with his best offensive game this season as he finished with his first collegiate double-double of 27 points (8-for-18 FG, 3-for-8 3PT, 8-for-8 FT) and 11 rebounds to go along with one assist, one steal and three blocks. Weathers followed with 14 points (3-for-9 FG, 1-for-1 3PT, 7-for-9 FT), two rebounds, six assists and one steal.

Kearing was two points shy of a double-double as he finished with eight points (3-for-7 FG), 10 rebounds, three assists and six blocks, while Agwa finished with seven points, nine rebounds, three steals and a block.

Kelly had six points, one rebound, one assist and one block, while Hatcher (four points, five rebounds and one assist) and Clark (there points, one rebound and one assist) were the lone two players that scored off the bench.

Grayson (one steal) and freshman Darik Tannis-Harriet (one assist) also contributed in the game.

Notes:
Tannis-Harriett and classmate Joe Stubbs made their on-court debuts for the team. For Tannis-Harriett, he follows the footsteps of his older brother and SCF alum Dominik.

Other Southern Conference Scores:
Indian River State (2-0) defeated Pensacola State (0-2) 61-58 Friday and 78-69 on Saturday in Tallahassee. The Pioneers will face Daytona State (0-1) on the road Tuesday night, January 26 at 6 pm before their home opener Saturday afternoon, January 30 at 3:30 pm.

Palm Beach State (0-3) dropped their home opener to Chipola by a score of 69-51 Friday night before losing 76-56 to Santa Fe College (2-0). The Panthers will be back in action Tuesday night at 7 pm as they welcome Potter’s House Prep.

Florida Southwestern (2-0) defeated Polk State (0-1) 75-62 on the road. The Buccaneers will be back in action Wednesday night at 7 pm as they travel to Melbourne to take on EFSC.

Miami-Dade (1-1) had to cancel their game against Florida State College at Jacksonville Saturday after before falling to Northwest Florida State (2-0) 71-56. The Sharks will welcome the Florida National University JV team Wednesday night, January 27 at 7 pm.

Up Next:
The Manatees remain at home for the next two games as they welcome former conference foe St. Pete College to Hal Chasey. This will be the Titans first game of the season after cancelling the first two due to a COVID-19 cancellation.