Storm men pull of close win over JCCC

Jalen Wilkins-Mccoy shot a perfect 10-10 from the field, including the game winning shot in overtime, to edge number 16th ranked Johnson County Community College 90-89, in a thrlling game Tuesday, Nov. 7, at the Truman Center.

Trailing 89-88, Wilkins-McCoy rebounded a missed shot and got the put back and foul with three seconds left to put SCC on top 90-89.

McCoy missed the free throw, but an Anthony Lupardus heave from mid-court as time expired was off target, and Southeast held on to the win.

Head Coach Joel Wooton said having Wilkins-McCoy return to the lineup after sitting out the first two games was huge for the program.

“Jalen gives us so many things and gives us another threat on the floor and is a mismatch on the floor for others,” Wooton explained.  “He gives us a little bit of everything.”

Wilkins-Mccoy led the Storm offense with 24 points, but Daniel Queseberry was instrumental in the win as well.

The sophomore from Salem, Utah, notched a double/double with 22 points and 14 rebounds, while going 4-8 from the three-point line. Wooton said Quesenberry’s outside shooting represents a match-up problem for opposing teams.

“It is hard for other team’s 5’s to guard him, because they are not used to guarding the perimeter,” Wooton said.

Southeast’s defense bottled up Johnson County’s Berlin Roberson, holding him to seven points. He came in averaging over 18 points a game.

Wooton said sophomore Qua Epps did a great job slowing Roberson down.

“Qua had a great game; he matched up reallywell with the Roberson kid,” Wooton said. “We talked about taking his (right dribble drive) away, and our guys did a pretty good job of it.”

The Storm picked up its first win of the season after starting 0-2. The team started out the year without two projected starters and two more that are expected to contribute.

Even with the return of Wilkins-McCoy and the exciting win over JCCC, Wooton cautioned that SCC is still a “work in progress.”

“We have so many young players just learning the game; it is going to take time for them to learn what to do and how to do it,” Wooton said.