The highest-scoring game in Southeast Arkansas College’s short men’s basketball history went to the visitors in a Wednesday night upset.
National Park College led the entire second half and defeated SEARK 111-101 at H.O. Clemmons Arena in Pine Bluff.
SEARK (9-8, 4-5 in Region 2) made 14 three-pointers, while National Park made six. The Nighthawks got the rim, drew fouls and made 21 of 26 free throws, while the Sharks made 11 of 19.
Sharks Coach Chad Kline said he knew coming into the game it would be fast-paced.
“Usually, when you score 101 points, you’re going to win the game,” Kline said. “I thought it came down to we gave them way too many easies, and we missed too many easies. I felt like they lived at the rim all night long.”
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
SEARK had never allowed a team to reach triple digits in the program’s two-year history until National Park (9-10, 2-7) sophomore forward Pete Moe scored a layup while drawing a foul with 3:23 left in the game.
The Sharks crossed the triple-digit threshold for the fourth time this year and sixth time overall when freshman guard Jordan Allen hit a three-pointer with roughly 1:13 remaining.
National Park led 51-46 at halftime and maintained that lead throughout the second half. SEARK got close a few times, including when sophomore forward Lavion Owens hit a three-pointer and a layup as part of a 7-0 run midway through the half. That cut the Nighthawks’ lead to 83-80.
NPC made a pair of shots to regrow its lead during a stretch in which SEARK made 1 of 4 free throws entering the under-8-minute media timeout. A three-pointer by sophomore guard Amir Rosa later cut it to 84-80, but SEARK never got within one possession again.
The first half featured 16 lead changes and six ties. SEARK’s largest lead was a three-point advantage, which occurred twice early in the game. The Sharks’ final lead was a 37-36 edge after a shot by sophomore forward Cayden Gibson, but NPC responded with a 9-0 run to take the lead back.
An Owens three-pointer later tied the game at 45, but NPC sophomore forward Kaharie Loggins hit a go-ahead shot late in the first half, and the Nighthawks led the rest of the night.
NPC entered the night in last place in Region 2, while SEARK was tied for fifth in the 10-team league. Kline said this loss is a reminder the Sharks can’t take any team for granted.
“All these conference games, one through 10, they’re all the same,” Kline said. “It doesn’t matter what anyone’s record is. We’ve beat the best two teams at the top of the conference and lost to the bottom two teams in the conference, so it’s every night. Everyone’s pretty much the same. You gotta come to play every night.”
Moe finished with a game-high 30 points, while Loggins scored 28 for NPC. Four other Nighthawks broke double digits.
Rosa led SEARK with 24 points. Allen finished with 19, and Owens scored 18.
WOMEN: National Park 77, SEARK 53
More National Park players scored than SEARK has players on its roster as the Lady Nighthawks ran away with a battle between teams which entered the night each in the top three of the Region 2 standings.
SEARK (4-7, 4-3) dressed seven players, while National Park brought 13. The Lady Sharks already have a small team with nine players on the roster and had to play without freshman guard Kayla Kimbrough and center Anitra Honore.
National Park (5-1, 12-9) had 11 players score, led by sophomore guard Khayla Garrett with 16 points. Freshman center Jaylin Finley and sophomore center Landrey Richardson scored 12 each, with sophomore guard Khyra Garrett adding 11.
SEARK sophomore Amminesha Patterson led the Lady Sharks with 18 points, followed by Dumas graduate Stephana Steen with 15.
SEARK scored the first bucket of the game but did not make another shot from the field until a minute into the second quarter after the Lady Nighthawks had built a 20-5 lead. SEARK went on to score 18 points in the second quarter, led by Patterson’s 10, but NPC scored 22 and led 40-23 at halftime. The Lady Sharks never threatened the lead in the second half.