Men's Basketball
Men’s team is ready for rematches
Cincinnati State head coach Andre Tate says his team will be in for a dogfight the rest of the season in the Ohio Community College Athletic Conference.
His team had started the season strong, but struggled after conference play began, finding itself at one point in January with a mediocre 3-3 record in conference play.
But there have been plenty of bright spots this season, notably a gritty 72-68 upset of No. 1 Columbus State on Jan. 20 and then back to back wins at the end of January and start of February to end a two-game losing streak at put the team into position for a stretch run in conference play.
“We started out so strong,” Tate said. “Now, we are in a dog fight with the rest of our conference for the top spot.”
After the dramatic win on the road against arch-rival Columbus State, the Surge lost point guard Jamarien Paul-Brown to a sprained ankle.
“Jamarien brings calmness to the offense,” Coach Tate said. “He takes care of the ball and makes the right decisions.” With Paul-Brown out, the Surge lost two games to Lakeland Community College and Sinclair Community College.
The Surge was able to stop the losing streak at two on Jan. 30 as it hosted Cuyahoga Community College. “They’re tough. They have some players who can really fill it up and pressure you defensively,” Coach Tate said prior to the game.” His statement proved to be true as the Cuyahoga starters were able to find success early on. Rayshawn Goins answered with 19 points and 12 rebounds while Melvyn Little came out in the second half starting hot from the 3 point line hitting his first two from the arc. Little, James Millen, and Quentin Williford covered for the absence of Paul-Brown scoring a combined 34 points and only 2 turnovers amongst them. The Surge cruised in the second half to a 73-62 victory, improving to 15-7 overall and 4-3 in the OCCAC.
The dominating play of Rayshawn Goins has been an encouraging sign throughout the past couple of weeks. Goins leads the team with a 26.5 scoring average and has been continuing to dominate on the court. “I just want to win,” Goins said, “It is nice to score but we have to get the wins over everything else and keep it up.”
New transfer Nick Van Exel has proved to be a lockdown defender.
“Nick will be key for us down the stretch because he is the best defender on the team. We need that,” Tate said after Van Exel’s first action in a home win against Edison Community College on Jan. 13.
The Surge’s road game at Edison on Feb. 3 proved to be anything but easy. “Their gym is one of the toughest places to play in. Edison plays really well at home,” Tate said before the game. Throughout the game the teams were neck to neck. Edison stayed in the game with its 3 point shooting going 13 for 25. The Surge escaped with an 89-87 victory improving their record to 5-3 in the OCCAC.
If it wins against Owens Community College on Feb.6, the Surge will be playing for first place in the conference against Columbus State on Feb. 10 at home. The game starts at 7:30 p.m.
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Andre Tate, Coach
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