It may have been a loss in the record books, but the SCC Lady Storm were feeling good with the way they played following a 52-48 loss to Division I Northeast Community College on Saturday, Jan. 25, at the Truman Center.
Northeast came in with a 17-2 record and dominated the first matchup between the two teams 82-53 in December.
Southeast used a 1-3-1 zone defense to stifle NCC, holding them to 28 percent shooting.
“(We) played tough defense, (and) outrebounded a much taller team,” Co-Head Coach Vicki Wooton said.
The Lady storm trailed by seven before ending the first half on a 10-3 run, making it a 29-28 halftime score.
The game went back and forth in the second half, but Southeast was unable to make some key shots down the stretch, and that allowed NCC to hold on for the win.
Both teams struggled from the field, with SCC hitting just 1-15 from three point range. The Lady Hawks were nearly perfect from the free line, however, hitting 11-12 for the game.
Brianna Grant led Southeast with 14 points, followed by Mesha Smith with 12 points and eight rebounds. Dionne Martin nearly notched a double/double, scoring eight and grabbing nine rebounds.
Chelsea Savage was held to two points, but dished out seven assists.
Wooton also credited Hannah Roberts for playing great defense and running the floor well.
“This was a well-played game for us even though we lost,” Wooton explained. “It showed our team has a lot of energy and heart.”
The loss dropped SCC’s record to 12-11 on the season, with eight of those losses to ranked teams.