Storm Men Fall to Johnson County

Denzel Wright exploded for 24 first half points to power the visitors from Johnson County to a 60-55 win over the Storm Wednesday, January 7, at the Truman Center.

Wright had 24 of JCCC’s 35 first half points as the Cavaliers took a 35-33 halftime lead.

SCC got off to good start, as Synder Cenecharles opened the game with a corner three pointer. The team led Johnson County 7-1 before the visitors got their act together after a timeout.

JCCC would roar back and take 11-10 lead and led by as many as eight in the first half.

The game went back and forth in the second half as there were a total of seven lead changes and four ties. The game came down to the final minute.

Johnson County had a 56-55 lead with 32 seconds left when they were called for a backcourt violation. Cenecharles found Rakeem Hicks in the post, but the sophomore missed a shot and fouled out as he battled for a rebound with 16 seconds remaining.

The Cavaliers iced the game with free throws after the Storm were forced to foul.

It was another bitter defeat for a team that has struggled to shut down the opposing team’s marquee players.

“(Wright) was 1-11 in his last game,” Head Coach Joel Wooton said. “I wish I had the answers.”

The coach made some adjustments to slow down Wright after halftime, holding him to five second half points.

“We moved Snyder on him, and we doubled (Wright) on ball screens to get the ball out of his hands,” Wooton explained.

Those five points, however, proved to be the difference in the game.

Sophmore Altez Davis led the Storm with 20 points, hitting 7-9 from the field and 3-4 from the three point line. Cenecharles added 10.