Saints win 79-77 over SCF in overtime

BRADENTON, Flo. -  Seward County Community College's men's basketball team defeats State College of Florida (SCF) 79-77 in overtime on Thursday night. The game was tied 77-77 as the Saints had the ball for the final 29 seconds and Branton "Bee" McCrary drove to the basket and scored the go-ahead basket with 0.4 seconds left. Seward County improves to 7-7 on the year and will go to Barton Community College on January 5th to take on the Cougars.

The Saints went on a 9-0 run to start the game as their defense was able to create turnovers and got into transition offense. State College of Florida responded and tied the game at 25 all with 3:19 left in the first half. At the break, the Saints led the Manatees 35-31. 

In the second half, the Saints continued to keep the Manatees at bay by a slim margin of 54-50 with 9:53 left in the game. With 4:10 left it remained a one-possession game as Seward had a 63-60 advantage over SCF. In the final minute, they tied the game with a free throw 69-69, and neither team could score in their final possession to force overtime. 

In overtime, the Saints took a 75-72 lead after a Taye Donald mid-range jumper with 2:28 on the clock. The Manatees tied the game at 77-77 in the final minute and the Saints had the ball with 29 seconds left. McCrary held on to the ball until eight seconds were left on the clock as he attacked the rim and scored a layup with 0.4 seconds left the Saints took a 79-77 lead. One final shot by SCF was too strong as the Saints held on to win 79-77 over the Manatees. 

The Saints will head back to Kansas and get ready for the spring semester as conference games start on January 5th against Barton in Great Bend, Kansas.