Clutch shots from freshman guard Jordan Allen and sophomore forward Lavion Owens capped off a late comeback by Southeast Arkansas College in an 83-76 men’s basketball victory over Phillips Community College of the University of Arkansas on Wednesday at H.O. Clemmons Arena.
Owens said the Sharks played hard to the end, knowing it wasn’t over if time remained on the clock.
“We played hard, rebounded, knocked down shots,” Owens said. “We never give up. We played to the end. We stayed together, never got mad at each other. Played together, won the game.”
SEARK (8-5, 3-2 Region 2) finished the game on a 15-2 run after trailing most of the second half. Allen started the comeback with a two-point shot, with sophomore guard Cadell Wallace later tying the game at 74.
The only shot Phillips (10-6, 1-4) made in the final four minutes was a two-pointer by sophomore forward Jaiden Brunson to restore the Ridge Runners’ lead, 76-74, before Allen cut the deficit to one with a free throw.
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With roughly 1:24 remaining in the game, Allen nailed a three-pointer to give SEARK its first lead since 40-39 in the first minute of the second half. Shortly after, Owens added another three-pointer to force a Phillips timeout with 54 seconds remaining. Allen put the game away with a pair of free throws as the Ridge Runners were forced to foul.
SEARK Coach Chad Kline said the Sharks got key stops in the final minutes, which allowed them to go on that run.
“Our guys are gritty, and I just told them that in the locker room,” Kline said. “They had us on the ropes, and we could have easily folded and gave in, but we just kept fighting. We try to say it all the time: play four minutes at a time. Get it to the media (timeout), especially when you’re down like we were. Just have a chance in the last two minutes.”
Owens finished with a game-high 26 points. Wallace scored 13, while Allen finished with 11.
The Sharks started the game strong, hitting four three-pointers in the first four minutes. SEARK led by as much as 18-10 and 22-14 before Phillips got back into the game with a 7-0 run. The Sharks clung to their lead and took a 38-37 advantage into halftime. Brunson then gave Phillips the lead quickly after play resumed.
Brunson’s shot was one of three lead changes in the first minute of the second half. Owens tied the game at 34, and a 7-0 run put the Ridge Runners back in front all the way until Allen hit the go-ahead shot.
Phillips made two three-pointers in the first half but connected on six in the second. The Ridge Runners led by as much as 65-55 midway through the second half.
Kline said he thought the Sharks played good defense all game, but Phillips got uncharacteristically hot on offense.
“My assistant coach did a good job of keeping me off the ledge, saying, look, they can’t make these shots all night long,” Kline said. “That’s one of those games you just gotta stay the course when you’re not playing your best and have a chance to win at the end.”
Brunson led Phillips with 15 points, followed by sophomore Jeremiah Aaron with 13.
WOMEN: SEARK 76, Phillips 67
The SEARK women never trailed in the second half after a back-and-forth start to the game.
Sharks Coach James Thatcher said his players performed well coming off a 25-day gap between games for the Christmas break.
“We just played unbelievable,” Thatcher said. “We made some mistakes, but we kept capitalizing on it and doing something positive when we made the mistake. It was unbelievable the way they just pulled through it the whole four quarters.”
SEARK (3-5, 3-1) led 38-35 after a first half which featured seven lead changes. The Ridge Runners tied the game twice early in the third quarter but never took the lead.
Phillips (2-11, 1-4) cut the deficit to 54-49 late in the third quarter, but the Sharks ended the third and opened the fourth on an 11-0 run to pull away. Five different players contributed points to the run.
The lead got as large as 73-58 in the fourth, but Phillips did its best to fight back. Tya Johnson, a sophomore, hit back-to-back three-pointers. The Ridge Runners held SEARK to three points the rest of the way but didn’t make enough shots of its own after Johnson’s three-pointers to finish the comeback.
Thatcher said the Sharks were able to take control and hold off the comeback when they got back to running their sets rather than playing as individuals.
“Just slow it down, be poised, concentrate,” Thatcher said. “The game’s never over until the buzzer goes off. We’re going to make some mistakes, but just stay poised, and they did it. Overall, they did some very positive things down the stretch to help us be successful.”
Johnson finished with a game-high 29 points. SEARK sophomore guard Takiela Jones led the Sharks with 18 points, while freshman Kayla Kimbrough and sophomore Amminesha Patterson added 15 apiece.
