Saints Pull Through Late to Knock Off Coffeyville

The second halves of games have been a nightmare for the Seward County Saints during a mini three game slide and for a while it looked like that would continue Saturday night in the Greenhouse as traditional Jayhawk East power came to town for a now Jayhawk Conference matchup between the two.  Seward led by one at the break but watched as the Red Ravens took a 10 point lead midway through the second before coming from behind to knock Coffeyville off 89-84 behind a combined 55 points from guards Niem Stevenson and Charles Beauregard. 

Seward got off to a good start Saturday against Coffeyville, jumping out to a 9-3 lead to begin things as Niem Stevenson scored six early points and Charles Beauregard finished a three point play.  After Coffeyville cut the Saints lead to two with 13:00 to go in the half, Beauregard and Delano Jones nailed guarded threes and just like that, Seward was back up by eight, 19-11.  However, as expected, the tradition rich Red Ravens weren't going to roll over for the Saints.  Coffeyville scored the next eight to tie the game at 19 going into the first half media timeout and the two teams went back and forth and remained deadlocked five minutes later at 27.  After Coffeyville took a 35-31 lead on the Saints, four straight for Seward knotted the game back up and before the break, a slashing Mitchell Packard found a crease in the lane to finish at the tin to give the Saints a one point lead at the half 39-38. 

Neither team was particularly impressive offensively in the first half as the Saints shot 35% and Coffeyville 33% in the period.  Both teams struggled from three as well, going a combined 5 for 28 in the half.  Stevenson led the Saints with 14 first half points while Beauregard added 10. 

It continued to be a back and forth battle as the second half got underway.  After trading the lead, they found themselves tied once again at 49 five minutes in.  That's when the Saints went ice cold and the Red Ravens started to heat up.  A 10-0 Coffeyville run over the next 2:46 put all the momentum on the visitors sideline and gave the Red Ravens a 59-49 lead, their largest of the night, with 12:36 to go.  Jones was fouled on a three point attempt and made all three free throws to break the Raven streak and it seemed to settle the Saints down as they slowly worked their way back to within six at 62-56 before the second half media timeout.  Seward kept pushing forward, cutting the Coffeyville lead to five on a number of occasions, but it seemed as if every time they got close, the Ravens answered with a bucket of their own to cushion their lead.  With 5:38 to go, Coffeyville remained in front 75-68 and it looked like the Saints were in trouble.  But, out of a Seward timeout, James Byrd forced a Coffeyville turnover and scored on the other end to make it a five point game and a three point play from Beauregard on the Saints next trip had Seward to within two at 75-73.  After a Red Raven free throw made it a three point game, Jones stepped up and drained a three from the wing to tie the game at 76 with 3:14 to go.  The game was still tied, this time at 78 with 1:40 remaining when Beauregard connected on a free throw to give the Saints a one point lead out of a timeout, 79-78.  On Coffeyville's next possession, Byrd picked up a steal, fed ahead to Beauregard who finished for two to spot the Saints a three point advantage.  Seward pushed their lead to four after a Coffeyville free throw and bucket from Jones and went up five as Beauregard connected on a pair of free throws with 37 seconds left.  Just when it looked like the Saints were on to victory, Coffeyville hit a corner three to make it a two point game, 86-84 with 27 seconds still left to tick away on the clock.  Stevenson was fouled and made two free throws to make it a two possession game and the Saints were able to hold the Ravens without a point in the final 30 seconds as they held on for an 89-84 to get an eruption of cheers from their home fans who waited it out until the end. 

After slow starts, both teams picked it up in the second half as Coffeyville shot 52% and the Saints 50% to both finish the game at 41% overall.  The key for Seward came in two places, taking care of the ball, and at the free throw line.  In the game, the Saints forced 21 Coffeyville turnovers, turning those into 15 points while only coughing it up 10 times themselves on the night.  At the line, the Saints put together a nice showing, shooting 74% and going 19 of 23 in the second half.  Beauregard led the way for the Saints with a career high 28 in the win while Stevenson scored 27 and had a team best 9 rebounds.  After a couple of slow games in his regards, Jones came up big off the Saints bench, scoring 17 while going a perfect 7 for 7 from the free throw line. 

The win is a big one for Seward who snaps a three game slide to improve to 14-4 overall and 4-3 in Jayhawk action with the victory.  Coffeyville continues a disappointing start to conference play as they drop to 9-8 overall and 2-4 in league action on the year. 

The Saints will have some time to recover after the win as they have their first half bye on Wednesday before taking the court again next Saturday in the Greenhouse to wrap up a three game home stand with the Cloud County Thunderbirds at 6:00.  Free tickets for that game can be had courtesy of our buyout sponsors Ruffinos and Hampton Inn at either of their Liberal establishments. 

#24 SEWARD COUNTY/COFFEYVILLE BOX SCORE