Seward Brings Home Black Friday Overtime Special
| Final | 1 | 2 | OT | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Seward County Community College (4-5) | 27 | 37 | 13 | 77 |
|
Eastern Arizona College (4-4) | 32 | 32 | 7 | 71 |
Despite trailing most of their game Friday afternoon against Eastern Arizona, the Seward County Saints came home with the most important thing of all on Black Friday 2014, a 77-71 overtime victory against the Gila Monsters in a thriller in the Arizona desert.
After a 1,000 plus mile trip to Yuma, Arizona, it took the Saints a little while to get going Friday afternoon in their matinee contest against Eastern Arizona. Seward managed just two points in the first four minutes of the game, falling behind 5-2 to the Gila Monsters. Eastern jumped in front 12-6 after a pair of long balls, but the Saints kept plugging away, cutting the Gila Monster lead to just one at 16-15 with five minutes to go in the first half. Eastern stretched their lead before the break, but the Saints remained within striking distance, down just 32-27 after the first 20 minutes of action in Yuma.
Things remained tight as the second half got underway and in what continued to be a defensive battle, the Saints were kept at bay, but not far from making a move on the Monsters. With four minutes to go in the contest, it was a one point game in favor of Eastern Arizona, but as the clock ticked under one minute remaining, the Gila Monsters had stretched their lead to four at 64-60 against the Saints. After drawing to within two, Seward sophomore Evan Allen went soaring through the air like Superman, throwing down a dunk with 40 seconds remaining in the game to tie the score at 64. After a wild finish to regulation that included a pair of offensive fouls, the two teams headed to overtime still knotted at 64.
In the extra period it was all Seward County as the Saints scored seven of the first eight points to take a rare lead in the game at 71-65. Once the Saints got the lead, they knew what to do with it, playing even with the Gila Monsters for the last 2:30 to come away with a 77-71 victory in their first game of the 2014 Arizona Western Matador Classic.
Kevin Sims came up big for the Saints once again, scoring a game high 20 while also contributing on the defensive end with a career high 6 steals for Seward. Secean Johnson pitched in 15 points on 6 of 13 shooting before fouling out while Evan Allen and Tykwan Garner each had 12 for the Saints.
The Saints improve to 4-5 on the year, creeping ever so close to that .500 mark while Eastern Arizona falls to .500 at 4-4 with the loss.
Saturday night the Saints will wrap up the Matador Classic against a struggling Arizona Western team that has just one win over an NJCAA opponent this season.