The Sinclair Pride dug itself into a deep hole, but continued to fight until the clock ran out.
On Wednesday, Feb. 4, the Pride took a tough conference loss at the hands of the Columbus State Cougars (17-2, 4-1 in the OCCAC), 90-75.
After a 43-30 halftime deficit, Sinclair (15-5, 4-2 OCCAC) looked like a different team in the second period, using speed to force defensive pressure.
“We were able to get out and play our style of basketball,” said Pride head coach Jeff Price. “In the first half, we allowed (Columbus St.) to push us around and dictate whatever they wanted to do.”
Sinclair trailed by 22 points with 9:56 left, but the Pride would not go away quietly. With the full-court press, the Pride cut the Cougars deficit to eight points with 2:30 to go. Sinclair ran out of gas with 1:10 on the clock, fouling the rest of the way.
“We fought. We picked ourselves up in the second half and we fought hard,” said Pride assistant Marcus Stewart.
Columbus State, ranked fourth in the NJCAA Div. II, controlled the game from the tip with their athleticism and up-tempo offense. The Cougars out-rebounded Sinclair 32-11 in the first half.
Pride sophomore Mark Anderson scored 21 points and snatched 6 rebounds, while sophomore Johnathon Tate collected 13 points. Tate left the game due to cramping at the beginning of the second half only to return and provide a much-needed spark to Sinclair’s overall intensity.
“We’re a second half team so normally we come out more prepared than the first half,” Tate said. “We just have to start off every game like we finish. If we do that, then we might not have a problem.”
The Cougars went into the locker room with every bit of momentum after sophomore forward Jerrell Sanders slammed an emphatic dunk over the Pride’s Erik Lepajoe with 23 seconds left in the first half. The jam even got Pride fans off their feet.
Columbus State star guard Greg Rice brought a 19-points per game average, but was limited after breaking his finger while diving into the stands for a loose ball during the first half. He finished with 10 points and 8 rebounds.
Stewert believes that the Pride can take what they learned from the loss and turn it into a positive lesson for the rest of the season.
“They were physical with us in the first half. Not too many teams have been physical with us from the jump,” Stewert said. “We were a little shocked by it, but we’ll be ready for it from here on out.”