SIC MEN, WOMEN FALL AT HOME TO REND LAKE

In a day of doubleheader GRAC action, wide point swings in both games saw visiting Rend Lake College take a pair of games from host Southeastern Illinois College.

Men’s Game – RLC 62, SIC 53

During a contest where no shots seemed to be falling at all for the hosts, SIC improbably made a run to make the contest competitive in the final minutes.

Rend Lake had bumped their lead to as many as 20 points when SIC starting forward James Williams went down with a knee injury around the eight minute mark, and the lead was at 21 around four minutes later, when the tide began to turn.

The Falcons got long-range bombs from Jamie Carr and Robert Barnes, sandwiched by a Warrior turnover, and sliced the deficit to 56-46 with 1:56 left. After Rend Lake’s Richard Clemons hit a pair of clutch free throws, Southeastern’s Jaylen Carter canned another three, and after a timeout, Carr stole the inbounds pass and converted a layup to cut the margin to 58-51 with still over a minute remaining.

Rend Lake turned the ball over yet again on the next possession, but with a chance to pull within four, a three-point try by SIC’s Alan Long was tipped, and the comeback fell short.

SIC’s long-range flurry at the end came after a first half in which they put up just 16 points, while making just 2 of 18 threes. Rend Lake hadn’t been much better, converting on just 39 percent of their shots overall while also committing 10 turnovers.

The host Falcons were led by Isaiah Thomas’s 13 points, and Carr joined him in double figures with 10.

Rend Lake got 12 from Cortez Macklin and 12 points and 12 rebounds from Montez Williams.

Women’s Game – RLC 73, SIC 49

The host Lady Falcons’ contest was a near-complete reversal of the men’s, as they stormed out to a big early lead before a withering RLC defense clamped down across the end of the first half and the beginning of the second.

Seeking their first win of the season, SIC used an inside-outside attack with long-range shots early by Nakaila Sheppard and a couple of inside buckets by Sydney Clark to establish a 16-5 lead early, which ballooned to 23-9 after a three-pointer by Kim Mixen at the 10:50 mark.

However, after SIC interior players Clark and Teyonna Simmons each picked up their second foul in short order, Rend Lake went to work inside, running of 13 straight points to pull within one at the 7:30 mark.

A pull-up jumper by Brooke Dodane stemmed the bleeding momentarily, and a slicing move by Sheppard put the lead back to 29-24, but Rend Lake closed the half with six straight points, four coming from forward Jasmine Guthrie, to take a one-point halftime lead.

Southeastern kept taking a pounding inside from Guthrie early in the second half but stuck around thanks to Sheppard nailing three free throws after being fouled on a long-range attempt, but from that point, Rend Lake ran off 12 of the next 14 points to open up a 46-34 lead with just over 12 minutes to play.

The hosts trimmed that lead to 48-40 on a traditional three-point play by Simmons with 9:10 left, but Rend Lake came right back with a layup by Kristina Henley to bump the lead back to 10, and it would never drop below double digits as the Lady Warriors scored 25 of the game’s last 34 points.

SIC was led by Sheppard, who had 22 points and was the only Lady Falcon in double digits, though Clark and Simmons did each chip in 12 rebounds.

Rend Lake got 14 from Marquita Hilliard-Williams, who made all four of her field goal attempts as well as all five free throws. Henley and Guthrie each had 12 and 11 rebounds.

Men’s Game

RLC 62, SIC 53

RLC: Clemons 1-3 4-4 7, McCullum 2-8 0-1 4, Macklin 3-10 4-5 12, Akins 3-4 0-0 6, Halfacre 0-1 2-2 2, Darrett 1-4 0-0 2, Williams 5-10 2-2 12, Taylor 4-11 0-0 9, Johnson 3-5 2-3 8. Totals: 22-56 14-17 62.

SIC: Thomas 4-9 4-7 13, Rivera 0-11 4-6 4, Williams 1-7 0-0 3, Hughes 0-6 0-0 0, Carter 3-7 1-2 8, Long 1-7 0-0 3, Osemwegie 1-2 3-4 5, Barnes 2-7 2-2 7, Carr 4-7 0-0 10. Totals: 16-63 14-21 53.

Halftime Score: RLC 26, SIC 16. Three-pointers: RLC 4 (Macklin 2, Clemons, Taylor), SIC 7 (Carr 2, Barnes, Long, Carter, Williams, Thomas). Rebounds: RLC 41 (Williams 11), SIC 31 (Rivera 8). Turnovers: RLC 22, SIC 19.

Women’s Game

RLC 73, SIC 49

RLC: Gooch 0-2 0-0 0, Hilliard-Williams 4-4 5-5 14, Reed 4-9 0-0 8, Henley 4-14 2-2 12, Guthrie 6-15 0-5 12, Williamson 2-5 0-2 4, Enlow 3-5 0-0 7, Junkins 4-5 0-1 8, Cannon 3-7 2-2 8, Wilson 0-1 0-0 0. Totals: 30-65 9-17 73. 

SIC: Best 1-6 0-0 2, Sheppard 6-23 6-7 22, Dodane 2-8 2-5 6, Simmons 3-7 2-3 8, Clark 3-10 0-0 6, Mixen 2-6 0-0 5, Prizer 0-3 0-0 0, Touchette 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 17-63 10-15 49.

Halftime Score: RLC 30, SIC 29. Three-pointers: RLC 4 (Henley 2, Hilliard-Williams, Enlow) SIC 5 (Sheppard 4, Mixen). Rebounds: RLC 47 (Henley, Guthrie 11), SIC 41 (Clark, Simmons 12). Turnovers: RLC 16, SIC 21.