Soares’ Nine Three-Pointers Sends SeaWolves To YSCC Title Game

SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine (YSCC) -- The #2-seeded Southern Maine Community College (SMCC) men's basketball team defeated in-state rival #3 Central Maine Community College (CMCC) 84-74 in the semi-final round of the Yankee Small College Conference (YSCC) Elite Eight Tournament on Saturday, Feb.18.

SMCC sophomore Chase Soares (Falmouth, Mass.) scored a season-high 32 points, shooting an unconscious 9-12 from beyond the arc. YSCC Player of the Year John Morgan (Sanford, Maine) poured in 20 points, also an efficient 9-12 from the field in 33 minutes of action.

CMCC's Cornelius Lawhorn (Warner Robbins, Ga.) led his team with 16 points, followed by Kionno Nelson's (Cranston, R.I.) 14 points, and five of 10 shooting.

In a much anticipated match-up, this game did not disappoint. The SeaWolves got off to a 10-1 start followed by a 14-0 run by the Mustangs. Down by two points with eight seconds remaining in the first half, SMCC's Dennis Cummings (Abington, Mass.) beat the buzzer with a three-point runner to send his team into the locker room leading 41-40. 

The SeaWolves held an 11 point lead, its largest of the night, at the 14-minute mark of the second half. Nelson would make back-to-back buckets to even the score and put the Mustangs ahead 65-62 with eight minutes reaming in regulation. As both teams traded baskets in the later stages, Cummings came up with a steal and the lay-in that proved to be the momentum swing for the home team. 

In a game that featured 16 lead changes and eight ties, both teams produced similar stat lines—the difference was SMCC's 48 percent from long range. 

The SeaWolves will take on the #1-seeded New Hampshire Technical Institute for the YSCC title. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. Tune into SeaWolves LIVE TV to catch all the action: http://www.gosmccseawolves.