Second-half TVCC push hurts Hawks
Published 6:57 pm Saturday, December 3, 2016
LSCPA sports information
ATHENS — Lamar State College Port Arthur charged out to a double-figure first-half lead over No. 3 nationally-ranked Trinity Valley Community College, but couldn’t hold off the comeback on the road as TVCC took a 75-64 win over the Seahawks on Saturday afternoon.
The loss drops the Seahawks to 7-2 overall and 0-2 in NJCAA Region XIV play while the Cardinals remain unbeaten in league play at 2-0, upping their season mark to 11-2.
The Seahawks went to TVCC facing the defending Region XIV champions and surprised the Cardinals with a strong defensive showing and a methodical and precise offensive attack.
Through the first half, the Seahawks went up by double-figures thanks in great part to the confident play of Beaumont freshman John Comeaux, who finished as the high scorer for the Hawks with 16 points.
But the second half was marked by a 14-0 Cardinals run that erased the early advantage the Seahawks worked so hard to get.
“We came out in the second half and we were content, we didn’t have the intensity that we had in the first half,” LSCPA coach Lance Madison said. “We lost the toughness we showed in the first half and we didn’t compete in the second half the same way.
“We gave Trinity Valley some confidence. They threw their best punch in the second half and we didn’t do a good job of responding to it.”
Comeaux did his best to keep the game close for the Seahawks late, but by the waning moments of the contest, the TVCC lead was just too much to overcome.
Chol Luk added 11 points for the Seahawks while Petar Radojicic chipped in nine.
The Seahawks return to the Carl Parker Center for a Wednesday night conference matchup with Navarro College. That game tips off at 7 p.m.