“The first time we played Indian River, it was hard for me to tell if we were just really bad or they were really good,” said head coach Tom Parks. “I think it was a combination of both because I think they are really good and we did not play really good when we went up there. It was really simple in terms of why we lost. We lost because we didn’t get down on defense and didn’t rebound and when it’s something so simple, we’ve been preaching it since that loss and all year. I think we did a better job rebounding and getting back in transition and not just ball watching when we make a shot or at the free throw line. Those were the biggest adjustments that we made and then it was great to see guys step up when guys got in foul trouble or fouled out of the game and when two of your best players foul out and to finish the game without them on the floor is incredible, especially not having a shot blocker or rim protector around the basket and without two really big rebounders we were able to find a way to win, which was a lot of fun.”
“Indian River State played really hard against us,” said freshman Tethloach Tut. “My teammates had my back and I was playing kind of soft and they told ‘Teth, we need you right now, be strong for us, we trust you. Just go out there and play your game’, so that’s what I did and pulled it off.”
It was a very exciting win,” said freshman Javon Bell. “They beat us the first time and we really wanted this one so we stepped the game up, came out hot when they weren’t ready and just won.”
The Manatees would open the offensive gate first as freshman James “Pop” Weathers would hit a 3-pointer to start it off. After sophomore Marshall Kearing hit a deep mid-range shot, Weathers would follow with a second 3-pointer to make it 8-2 SCF before ending the first half with the Manatees up 39-33.
In the second half, the Manatees continued to hold the lead in single digits with the score 85-84 still in favor of SCF with 11 second left on the clock. Parks then decided to bring in sophomore Christian Nieto. Nieto, who sat out last season, made his in-game debut after three and a half years.
For Nieto’s first touch, he drew a flagrant foul and was sent to the free throw where he scored his first point of the game after scoring one of two free throws. Five seconds later, he was fouled again and sent to the free throw for a one-and-one possession. After missing the first attempt, Nieto secured a crucial offensive rebound, was fouled for the third time and was sent to shoot two more free throws in success to seal the deal for a Manatee win.
“It felt great,” said Nieto on his debut. “It’s my first game in three years fully healthy and just for me to be able to step on the court for the first time with guys that I practiced with and go to war with every day is a great feeling.”
Nieto finished with three points and rebounds
“I put Christian in because he’s a great shooter and I didn’t love the lineup we had on the floor knowing that they were going to have to foul us,” said Park on Nieto’s debut. “Christian was in the gym more than anybody and gets up shots more than anybody. I wanted to show him that I have confidence in him to be able to finish the game. What I didn’t know is he was going to get the biggest offensive rebound in his entire life and that’s just what he did. That’s how I see the game, by getting an offensive game from the free throw line when we had no other guys in there.”
“All in all, I’m excited for him even though he didn’t play as much as he wanted to and it’s going to take some time to get him back in the swing of things, but I’m happy for him because for him this feels like an ongoing battle to be able to be healthy and see him on the floor just meant a lot for him just to take his warmup off and check in to shoot free throws and I couldn’t be more proud of him.”
Four Manatees scored in double figures. Weathers would lead the Manatees as he finished with 22 points (7-for-17 FG, 4-for-9 3PT, 4-for-5 FT), three assists, five steals and two blocks. Agwa would follow with 16 points (5-for-6 FG, 2-for-2 3PT, 4-for-5 FT), six rebounds, two assists, four steals and two blocks before fouling out.
Bell would finish with his second collegiate double-double of 15 points (5-for-14 FG, 3-for-7 3PT, 2-for-2 FT) and 12 rebounds, three assists and one block.
“I put up some exercise after practice every day so I was really feeling it today,” said Bell on his game. “So I went out there with my A-game on and did what I had to do to win the game.”
Kearing would round out the order with 13 points (5-for-8 FG, 1-for-4 3PT, 2-for-4 FT), eight rebounds, three blocks and a steal before he fouled out.
Tut finished with eight points (3-for-6 FG, 2-for-4 3PT), six rebounds and one assist.
“With Teth, it’s just a matter of getting him comfortable,” said Park on Tut. “Just because he got here six months after everybody else and so it’s going to take time to really adjust with his teammates and be more comfortable with the system and our expectations. With that, he’s able to play without being tense all the time.”
Freshmen DK Kelly (six points, six assists, one rebound and one steal), Joe Stubbs (six points, one rebound, one assist, one block and one steal) and Michael Hatcher (two assists and a steal) and sophomore Sam Grayson also contributed in the game.
For the Pioneers, sophomores Linton Brown and AJ Cajuste each scored 19 points. Brown added nine rebounds and three assists, while Cajuste added six rebounds and five assists. Classmate Antrell Charlton followed with 13 points, eight rebounds and six assists, while freshman Abdoulye Thiam rounded out the order with 12 points and four rebounds.
Other Southern Conference Scores:
#13 Florida Southwestern State (10-1, 5-0 Southern) defeated Palm Beach State (2-12, 0-6 Southern).
Up Next:
The Manatees welcome back an old rival as they welcome former Suncoast rival Polk State (4-4, 3-3 Central) to Hal Chasey Gymnasium Monday night, March 1 at 7:30 pm.
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